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MODERN  DIABOLISM; 


COMMONLY  CALLED 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM: 


WITH  NEW  THEOBIES  OF 


LIGHT,  HEAT,  ELECTRICITY,  AND  SOUND. 


M.  J.  WILLIAMSON. 


NEW    YO!\K: 

PUBLISHED  BY  JAMES  MILLER, 

No.    647    BROADWAY. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873,  by 

M.    J.    WILLIAMSON, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


LOVEJOY,   BOM   *   CO.,    8TEHEOTTPEKS,    15   V AN DE WATER   ST. 


PREFACE. 


IN  the  year  1867  a  work  written  by  the  author  of  this, 
entitled  "  The  Invisibles:  An  Explanation  of  Phenomena 
commonly  called  Spiritual,"  was  published  anonymously  in 
Philadelphia. 

That  work  professed,  as  does  this,  to  be  based  upon  informa- 
tion received  from  another  world.  It  will  be  perceived,  on 
reading  the  introductory  narrative  of  the  present  work,  that 
at  the  time  the  former  was  written,  it  was  extremely  difficult  for 
the  writer  to  procure  the .  needed  information;  consequently, 
the  work  was  not,  even  to  the  author,  entirely  satisfactory. 
The  same  difficulty,  to  some  extent,  has  existed  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  work;  but  communication  having  become  less 
difficult  than  formerly,  and  having  received  additional  informa- 
tion, I  decided  to  rewrite  the  former  work,  with  the  addition 
of  such  matter  as  would  further  explain  the  subject 

The  narratives  relating  and  explaining  my  own  experience 
in  the  investigation  of  this  subject  to  the  date  of  the  former 
publication,  are — with  an  exception  which  will  be  hereafter 
stated — substantially  the  same  in  this  as  in  the  former  work. 
The  explanations  of  phenomena,  and  the  reviews  of  other 
narratives  bearing  upon  the  subject,  are  also  substantially  the 
same.  The  brief  description  of  the  other  world  given  in  this 
work  is  here  original;  as  are  also  the  new  theories  of  Light, 
Sound,  etc.,  and  the  criticisms  on  the  popular  theories  of  these 
phenomena. 

The  exception  above  referred  to,  or  difference  between  the 
narratives  given  in  this  and  the  former  work,  is  this: — In  the 
former  work  I  carefully  avoided  giving  any  clue  to  the  identi- 
ties of  the  individuals  of  the  other  world  who  had  been  guilty 
of  deceptions  in  their  communication^  with  me.  It  was  very 


2033801 


ir  PREFACE. 

difficult  for  me  to  believe  that  these  individuals  had  become 
such  lying  creatures;  and  I  thought  it  possible  that  if  com- 
munication was  less  difficult,  some  explanation  might  be  giveu 
•which  would  make  their  course  appear  less  reprehensible. 
Having  now  learned,  as  I  am  convinced,  all  the  important 
facts  in  the  case,  I  see  no  reason  why  I  should  so  carefully 
conceal  the  identities  of  these  parties  as  to  make  the  narrative 
appear  like  a  fiction;  especially  as  I  have'  not  hesitated  to 
state  that  a  relative  of  my  own  was  one  of  the  worst  liars  of  the 
party — a  fact,  by  the  way,  of  which  I  was  not  aware  when  I 
wrote  the  former  work. 

In  this  work  I  have,  therefore,  stated  such  facts  relative  to 
these  individuals,  designated  by  initials,  as  were  necessary  to 
make  the  narrative  intelligible;  Avhether  these  facts  make  tha 
individuals  generally  known  to  the  readers  of  this  work,  or 
not,  is  a  matter  of  indifference  to  me.  It  is  somewhat  un- 
fortunate that,  for  reasons  which  will  be  apparent  on  reading 
the  narrative,  I  must  conceal  the  identity  of  the  individual 
who,  of  the  male  persons,  has  communicated  most  frequently 
with  me;  and  whom  I  have  designated  by  the  title  of  Count. 
A  knowledge  of  the  identity  of  this  person  would  make  the 
narrative  clearer;  still,  I  think  the  facts  which  1  have  given 
will  make  it,  so  far  as  relates  to  him,  at  least  intelligible. 

My  reason  for  publishing  the  former  work  anonymously  was, 
of  course,  that  I  did  not  wish  to  be  known  as  a  "  medium; "  I 
wished  to  avoid  being  requested  to  serve  as  such  for  com- 
munications to  others,  and  also  to  avoid  discussion  of  the  sub- 
ject, either  with  Spiritualists  or  those  who  believe  the  pheno- 
mena to  be  mere  jugglery.  The  same  reason  for  withholding  my 
name  still  exists;  but  such  withholding  would  now  be  useless; 
the  narratives  as  now  written  would  make  the  writer  known  to 
many  of  his  acquaintances.  Aside  from  this,  however,  as  in 
some  newspaper  notices  of  the  former  work  it  was  insisted, 
and  perhaps  Avith  good  reason,  that  the  author's  name  should 
have  been  given  as  a  voucher  for  such  an  extraordinary  narra- 
tive, I  had  decided  to  give  it  in  the  present  work. 

The  new  theories  of  sound,  light,  etc.,  herein  presented, 
should,  and  I  hope  will,  be  examined  without  reference  to  the 


PREFACE.  V 

source  from  which  I  profess  to  have  have  received  them.  I 
profess  to  have  received  them  since  I  commenced  writing  this 
work,  or  less  than  six  months  since;  and  therefore  have  not 
had  much  time  for  considering  them.  Still,  I  have  given  to 
them  as  much  thought  as  to  those  which  I  have  criticised ; 
and,  while  I  readily  perceived  what  to  me  seemed  fatal  defects 
in  the  latter,  I  do  not  perceive  such  in  the  former.  But  any 
theory  of  light  requires  for  its  demonstration  experiments 
which  I  have  no  means  for  performing;  I  must,  therefore, 
submit  this  for  examination  to  those  having  such  facilities. 

These  theories,  I  am  well  aware,  do  not  harmonize  with  the 
belief  of  many — whether  most,  or  not,  I  am  unable  to  state — 
scientific  men  of  the  present  day  as  to  the  nature  of  sensation. 
Sensation,  and  all  the  phenomena  producing  it,  are  now  ex- 
plained as  being  simply  motion;  sensation  being,  as  I  under- 
stand the  theory,  motion  of  particles  of  the  brain.  The 
theories  I  havo  received  assume  that  all  our  sensations  are  of 
an  electrical  nature;  and  that  electricity  itself  is  not  simply 
motion,  but  a  substance;  the  theory  of  electricity  differing  but 
little  frcm  the  single  fluid  theory  as  formerly  held.  The 
nature  of  sensation  cannot,  of  course,  be  demonstrated;  but 
the  theory  that  it  is  motion — not  a  very  satisfactory  theory 
considered  by  itself — appears  to  have  originated  from  the 
belief  that  all  the  phenomena  producing  it  are  simply  modes 
of  motion.  I  think  if  the  belief  had  not  been  held  that  these 
phenomena  are  simply  motions  of  particles,  the  idea  would 
never  have  occurred  to  any  one  that  sensation  was  such.  Why 
theories  of  these  phenomena  are  given  in  a  work  of  this  kind, 
is  explained  at  the  close  of  the  introductory-  narrative. 

I  think  most  persons  who  have  thoroughly  and  candidly 
investigated  the  phenomena  generally  termed  spiritual,  whether 
they  became  satisfied  as  to  the  origin  of  the  phenomena  or  not, 
have,  like  myself,  felt  some  disgust  at  the  attitude  assumed,  in 
reference  to  the  subject,  by  a  certain  class  of,  so-called, 
scientific  men.  The  terms  "  science  "  and  "  scientific  "  have 
been  made  to  play  a  very  sorry  part  in  this  matter. 

It  has  so  happened  that,  in  criticising  the  wave  theory  of 
sound,  and  the  dynamical  theory  of  heat,  it  has  been  a  matter 


yj  PBEFAGE. 

of  convenience  for  me  to  review  briefly  the  published  It  ctures 
of  one  of  these  "scientific  men."  No  criticisms  of  such  non- 
sensical lectures,  delivered  by  a  professor  of  natural  philos- 
ophy, could,  under  any  circumstances,  be  too  severe;  but  the 
language  now  employed  is  not  such  as  was  originally  written, 
nor  such  as  would  now  be  used  but  for  the  supercilious  attitude 
assumed  by  this  professor,  in  connection  with  others  of  hia 
class,  toward  all  who  express  their  belief  in  the  genuineness 
of  these  phenomena. 

When  a  crack-brained  professor,  having  no  knowledge  of 
the  subject,  chooses  to  publish  to  the  world  his  "  despair  for 
humanity,"  because  people  who  have  investigated  the  subject 
persist  in  believing  the  evidence  of  their  senses,  I  do  not  feel 
called  upon  to  be  very  guarded  in  my  language  when  review- 
ing his  idiotic  lectures.  And  it  does  not  appear  to  me  prob- 
able that  a  man  who  is  eo  ignorant  on  subjects  which  he 
professes  to  have  made  a  study,  can  be  so  peculiarly  gifted  as 
to  be  able  to  decide  authoritatively  relative  to  phenomena 
which  he  has  not  investigated  at  all. 

In  this  work  I  have  used  the  words  death  and  died,  which 
Spiritualists  carefully  avoid,  because  they  are  generally  under- 
stood, when  applied  to  a  human  being,  as  referring  only  to 
the  death  of  the  body;  and  I  can  see  no  propriety  in  using 
several  words  to  express  a  fact  when  one  will  equally  well  serve 
the  purpose.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have,  at  some  inconven- 
ience, avoided  using  the  term  spirit  or  spirits,  except  when 
copying  or  reviewing  other  writings:  for,  as  the  inhabitants  of 
the  other  world  are  not  spirits,  as  the  word  is  generally  under- 
stood, the  term,  when  applied  to  them,  necessarily  conveys  a 
false  impression. 

It  will,  I  trust,  be  understood  that  I  give  the  somewhat 
lengthy  narratives  of  my  own  experience  in  this  matter  solely 
for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the  subject.  I  am  as  sensible  as 
any  one  can  be  that,  aside  from  this  single  object,  they  are  not 
worth  reading.  The  main  object  of  this  work  is  to  explain 
what  is  termed  Modern  Spiritualism — a  designation,  however, 
which  I  now  think  a  false  one— and  I  have  thought  that  a 
pretty  full  account  of  my  own  experience — a  very  unusual  one 


PREFACE.  Vll 

from  causes  stated — would  aid  in  making  the  subject  under- 
stood. 

I  would  here  say  a  few  words  which  in  a  work  of  a 
different  character  would  be  inappropriate.  It  will  be  under- 
stood, on  reading  the  introductory  and  explanatory  narratives, 
that,  as  at  present  situated,  I  should  decline  any  request  to 
serve  as  a  medium  for  communications  to  others.  But  I  wish 
to  make  it  also  understood  that  I  should  decline  any  discus- 
sion of  the  subject.  I  wish  to  avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  talking 
or  thinking  about  it;  the  reason  for  which  will,  I  think,  be 
perceived  on  reading  the  explanatory  narrative. 

I  have,  in  this  work,  given  all  the  information  upon  the 
subject  which  I  am,  at  present,  capable  of  giving.  If,  after 
reading  the  work,  Spiritualists  conclude  that  I  have  myself 
been  deceived,  and  still  think  that  they  can  receive  communi- 
cations from  departed  friends  through  the  mediums,  they,  of 
course,  can  and  will  continue  to  visit  them.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  others  continue  in  the  belief  that  no  communications 
are,  or  can  be,  received  from  any  of  another  world,  and  con- 
clude that  this  work  is  the  product  of  "  nervous  derangement," 
"reflex  action  of  the  brain,''  or  something  of  the  kind,  they 
can  continue  to  publish  their  "scientific"  theories  for  the 
benefit  of  others;  I  only  wish  to  say  that  any  attempt  to  con- 
vince me  that  such  is  the  fact  would  be  a  useless  waste  of 
time. 

These  remarks — more  especially  those  referring  to  the  latter 
class  of  individuals — prompted  by  past  experience,  are  here 
made  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  the  necessity  for  any  appar- 
ent rudeness  hereafter. 

NEW  YOBK,  October,  1872. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE  .  .  .11 

H.  INTRODUCTORY  NABBATEVE  CONCLUDED           .  62 

HI.  EXPLANATION  OP  ABOVE   .            .  81 

IV.  EXPLANATION  OF  ABOVE  CONCLUDED  .            .  122 

V.  MODEBN  SPIRITUALISM      ....  143 

VI.  ON  THE  WAVE  THEORY  OF  SOUND,  AND  A  NEW 

THEORY  OF  SAME           ....  165 

VIE.  ON  THE  DYNAMICAL  THEORY  OF  HEAT            .  182 

VHE.  ON  THE  UNDULATOBY  THEORY  OF  LIGHT  .            .  194 

IX.  NEW  THEOBIES  OF  ELECTRICITY  AND  HEAT    .  212 

X.  A  NEW  THEORY  OF  LIGHT             .            .            .  216 

XI.  ON  ANOTHER  WORLD  AND  THE  CHANGE  AT  DEATH  227 

XII.  EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA      .           .           .  239 

XTTTT  EEVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES           .           .           .  262 


The  cuts  on  page  216  are  incorrect.  That  representing  the  section 
perpendicular  to  the  shortest  diameter  is  sufficiently  accurate,  but  the 
outlines  of  the  section  perpendicular  to  this  should  be  more  rounded,  or 
convex  from  the  points  ;  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  transverse  section. 

The  words  "and  magnetic1'  in  first  paragraph,  on  same  page,  might 
aa  well  have  been  omitted,  as  the  idea — viz.:  differing  in  attractive  qual- 
ities— is  better  expressed  in  a  subsequent  paragraph. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAOK 

L  INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE            .  .11 

n.  INTBODUCTOBY  NABRATIYE  CONCLUDED  .             62 

HI.  EXPLANATION  OF  ABOVE   .         - .           .  .        81 

IV.  EXPLANATION  OF  ABOVE  CONCLUDED  .  .            122 

V.  MODERN  SPIBITUALISM      .         .  .'        -  ••  .      143 

VI.  ON  THE  WAVE  THEORY  OF  SOUND,  AND  A  NEW 

THEORY  OF  SAME           .           .            .  .       165 

VIE.  ON  THE  DYNAMICAL  THEOBY  OF  HEAT  .            182 

Vm.  ON  THE  UNDULATOBY  THEOBY  OF  LIGHT  .  .      194 

IX.  NEW  THEORIES  OF  ELECTRICITY  AND  HEAT  .            212 

X.  A  NEW  THEORY  OF  LIGHT             .            .  .      216 

XI.  ON  ANOTHEB  WOBLD  AND  THE  CHANGE  AT  DEATH      227 

XU.  EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA      .            .  .      239 

XIEL  EEVIEW  OF  NABBATIVES  262 


MODERN  DIABOLISM. 


CHAPTER  L 

INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE. 

ONE  evening,  in  the  year  1858.  I  received  an  invita- 
tion to  accompany  a  party  of  acquaintances  to  a  seance 
with  a  so-called  spiritual  medium.  At  this  time  I  knew 
very  little  about  spiritualism.  I  had  accidentally,  on 
two  or  three  occasions,  witnessed  table-tipping,  but,  so 
far  as  I  could  perceive,  the  "  mediums  "  moved  the  ta- 
bles precisely  as  any  ordinary  mortal  would  have  done  ; 
and  the  answers  to  questions  put  by  individuals  pres- 
ent— which  answers  were  limited  to  a  simple  affirmative 
or  negative — appeared  to  be  as  often  wrong  as  correct 
In  short,  they  were  such  silly  attempts  at  imposition, 
that  I  did  not  myself  think  it  worth  while  to  ask  any 
questions  or  make  any  investigations.  Still,  I  did  not 
conclude,  as  many  do  under  such  circumstances,  that 
because  what  I  had  witnessed  were  silly  attempts  at 
imposition,  all  the  phenomena  reported  as  having  been 
witnessed  by  intelligent  individuals  were  of  the  same 
character.  The  time  of  which  I  am  now  writing  was 
about  ten  years  after  the  commencement  of  the  Roches- 
ter knockings,  sc  called  ;  and  what  little  I  had  heard 


12  MODERN    DIABOLISM. 

upon  the  subject  had  produced  a  vague  impression  on 
my  mind  that,  in  the  presence  of  certain  individuals,  phe- 
nomena did  occur  which  were  not  yet  fully  understood. 
But  I  concluded  that  if  spirits  had  any  agency  in  the 
phenomena,  and  were  able  to  communicate  by  means 
of  the  "raps,"  as  pretended,  something  would  have 
been  communicated  tending  to  establish  the  fact ;  and 
I  had  neither  read  nor  heard  anything  of  the  kind. 

The  medium  at  the  seance  above  referred  to  was  Mrs. 
Brown,  a  member  of  the  celebrated  Fox  family ;  and 
she,  as  I  am  now  convinced,  was  the  first  real  medium 
I  had  seen.  On  this  occasion  I  witnessed  phenomena 
which  puzzled  me,  and  excited  sufficient  interest  to 
cause  my  further  investigation.  I,  therefore,  visited 
Mrs.  Brown  alone,  as  I  could  thus  more  satisfactorily 
investigate  the  phenomena.  I  also  visited  other  me- 
diums, and  sat  in  "  circles "  with  acquaintances  who 
were  also  interested  in  the  subject  There  is  such  a 
uniformity  in  these  phenomena,  and  they  have  been 
"so  often  described,  that  I  shall  not  detain  the  reader 
with  a  repetition.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  state  that  I 
became  fully  convinced  the  phenomena  occurring  in 
the  presence  of  Mrs.  Brown,  her  sister,  Miss  Fox,  and 
some  others,  were  genuine,  and  not  jugglery ;  and  that 
is  all  of  which  I  was  convinced.  I  was  unable  to  ar- 
rive at  any  conclusion,  satisfactory  to  myself,  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  phenomena. 

The  fact  that  sounds  resembling  raps  were  heard, 
and  furniture  moved,  without  any  visible  cause,  did  not, 
of  course,  necessarily  indicate  that  spirits  had  any  agency 
in  the  matter ;  but  there  was  a  certain  degree  of  intel- 
ligence manifested,  independently  of  the  medium,  for 


INTRODUCTORF  NARRATIVE.  13 

which  it  was  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  account  upon 
any  other  hypothesis  than  the  presence  of  invisible 
beings.  On  the  other  hand,  there  was  not  sufficient 
intelligence  manifested  to  warrant  the  assumption  that 
any  one  possessing  the  intellect  of  a  rational  human  be- 
ing was  an  agent  in  the  matter.  The  idea  at  once  nat- 
urally occurred  to  me,  that  if  the  disembodied  spirits 
of  human  beings  were  the  agents,  the  spirits  could  ex- 
plain how  they  produced  the  phenomena.  But  I  was 
unable  to  obtain  any  rational  explanation  ;  and  on  con- 
versing with  Spiritualists,  those  who  had  "  investigated," 
as  they  stated,  for  years,  relative  to  this  point,  I  found 
they  had  not  even  a  sensible  idea  upon  the  subject. 
They  had  an  undefined  theory  that  the  raps  were,  in 
some  way,  caused  by  discharges  of  electricity ;  and  as 
for  the  moving  of  furniture,  they  found,  as  they  said, 
no  difficulty  whatever  in  understanding  it  "  Spirit 
moves  ponderable  matter  when  you  raise  your  arm," 
they  said  ;  {t  why,  then,  can't  a  spirit  move  a  table  ?  " 
I  felt  it  would  be  a  hopeless  task  to  seek  information 
from  such  people,  and  soon  abandoned  the  investiga- 
tion, without  having  satisfied  myself  any  further  than 
as  above  stated. 

.  The  question  was  suggested  to  my  mind  whether 
there  might  not,  after  all,  exist  such  beings  as  the  de- 
mons once  believed  in,  and  described  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament ;  and  who,  through  their  connection  with  indi- 
viduals of  our  world,  learned  so  much  of  the  English 
language  as  to  be  able  to  spell  out  sentences  ;  but  this 
idea  was  not  seriously  entertained.  I  now  know,  how- 
ever, that  the  idea  was  not  very  far  from  the  truth ; 


14  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

but  the  demons  are  men  and  women,  once  inhabitants 
of  our  world. 

Another  idea  which  occurred  to  me  was,  that  certain 
individuals  of  the  invisible  world,  and  only  these,  might 
have  the  power  of  producing  the  phenomena  through 
certain  individuals  of  our  world ;  and  that  all  the  com- 
munications purporting  to  be  from  departed  friends  of 
the  visitors,  might  be  made  by  one,  or  more,  constantly 
with  the  medium.  But  this  theory  appeared  unsatis- 
factory, for  the  reason  that  I  could  perceive  no  induce- 
ment for  such  beings  to  remain  constantly  with  the  me- 
dium. If  the  communications  had  been  of  a  nature 
calculated  to  work  evil  in  the  recipients,  then  I  could 
have  perceived  a  motive  for  the  personations  ;  but  they 
were,  so  far  as  I  had  any  knowledge,  not  calculated  to 
produce  any  result,  either  good  or  bad.  Aside  from 
the  "  tests  "  relative  to  identity,  occasionally  given,  the 
communications  were  mere  platitudes,  having  such  an 
air  of  uniformity  as  almost  to  appear  like  sentences 
given  off  by  machinery.  Now,  I  could  not  conceive 
that  the  disembodied  spirit  of  a  man  or  woman — assum- 
ing such  to  exist — would  stay  with  a  medium  day  after 
day,  waiting  for  some  visitors  to  whom  these  platitudes 
might  be  communicated. 

In  the  autumn  of  1863,  having  no  particular  occupa- 
tion for  my  evenings,  I  determined  again  to  try  if  I 
could  not  settle  the  point  in  my  mind  as  to  whether  the 
phenomena  were  caused  by  beings  of  another  world ; 
and  I  may  as  well  confess  that  my  object  was  to  satisfy 
myself  that  we  continue  to  exist  after  the  death  of  the 
present  body. 

Mrs.  Brown  was  now  married,  and  not  a  public  me- 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  15 

dium.;  Miss  Fox  I  was  also  unable  to  see,  as  she  was 
unwell ;  I  visited  two  or  three  mediums,  but  the  result 
was  even  more  unsatisfactory  than  my  former  investi- 
gations. Having  been  told  by,  or  through,  one  of  these 
mediums  that  I  would  receive  more  satisfactory  com- 
munications direct,  by  sitting  alone  in  my  room,  than 
through  others,  I  concluded  to  try  this  plan.  The  mode 
of  communicating,  I  was  told,  would  be  by  writing  with 
my  hand.  I,  therefore,  sat  at  a  table  in  my  room,  hold- 
ing a  pencil  on  paper,  but  could  not  perceive  the  slight- 
est tendency  in  my  hand  to  move  in  any  direction. 
Partly  by  accident,  however,  I  discovered  that  if  I 
moved  my  hand  as  passively  as  possible,  there  was  a 
slight  foreign  influence  exerted  upon  it,  guiding  it  either 
to  the  right  or  left  The  influence  was  very  slight,  al- 
most imperceptible;  but  by  watching  it  closely,  and 
permitting  my  hand  to  be  guided  by  it,  letters  and 
words  were  formed.  To  write  a  word  or  a  name  was, 
at  first,  a  difficult  and  tedious  task  ;  one  great  difficulty 
being  that  my  hand  would  sometimes  move  backwards, 
or  from  right  to  left.  The  first  name — and  in  fact  the 
first  words — written,  was  that  of  an  intimate  acqriaint- 
ance  who  died  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  my  former  residence, 
a  little  more  than  a  year  previous. 

In  the  hope  that  the  writing  would  become  less  diffi- 
cult, I  sat,  for  a  short  time,  nearly  every  day  for  the 
purpose.  For  some  time  nothing  but  names  were  writ- 
ten, most  of  these  being  the  names  of  former  residents 
of  Cleveland.  Of  the  decease  of  most  of  these  individ- 
uals I  had  learned,  but  not  of  all ;  nor  do  I  now  know 
whether  all  whose  names  were  then  written  had  left 
our  world,  or  not ;  some  of  them  not  having  been  inti- 


16  MODERN  DIABOLISM; 

mate  acquaintances  of  mine.  Some  of  the  names  were 
not  written  correctly,  being  apparently  spelled  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  pronunciation. 

Several  days  after  I  had  commenced  sitting,  the  name 
"  Ella"  was  written,  and  repeated  continuously,  nothing 
else  being  attempted  during  the  sitting.  The  same  was 
repeated  the  next  day ;  I  could  get  nothing  written  but 
"  Ella,"  although  I  requested  that  Ella  would  let  some 
other  person  write.  As  I  never  had  any  intimate  ac- 
quaintance, so  far  as  I  could  recollect,  of  that  name,  I 
ceased  sitting  for  communications.  About  a  month 
afterward  I  again  sat  down  to  see  what  would  be 
written,  when,  to  my  great  vexation,  the  name  "  Ella" 
was  again  given.  Then  I  concluded  to  endeavor  to 
ascertain  who  this  Ella  was.  It  would,  at  this  time, 
have  been  tedious,  if  not  impracticable,  to  have  an  ex- 
planation written  out;  I  therefore  asked  questions  to 
which  a  simple  affirmative  or  negative  would  be  an 
answer.  In  this  way,  after  asking  several  questions,  I 
learned  that  Ella  claimed  to  be  a  sister  of  mine.  It 
then  occurred  to  me  that  the  last  four  letters  of 
Isabella,  the  name  of  a  deceased  sister,  formed  the 
name  Ella.  The  former  name  was  then  written,  and 
on  asking  this  person  pretending  to  be  my  sister,  if  she 
had  forgotten  her  name,  she  replied  that  she  had.  This 
was,  upon  any  hypothesis,  the  more  inexplicable  from 
the  fact  that  the  name  of  this  sister  was  correctly  given 
at  Mrs.  Brown's  during  my  former  investigations. 

In  the  succeeding  spring  the  facility  in  writing  had 
become  such  that  short  communications  were  given. 
But  it  was  still  a  tedious  process ;  not  more  than  one 
brief  communication  being,  as  a  rule,  written  at  a  sit- 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  17 

ting  As  soon  as  it  became  feasible  to  write  sentences, 
one  individual  appeared  to  have  the  entire  control. 
This  person  gave  the  name  of,  and  pretended  to  be,  an 
acquaintance  of  mine  who  died  at  Cleveland  more  than 
twenty  years  previous.  He  was  an  educated  gentle- 
man; this  invisible  bsing,  pretending  to  be  him,  was 
an  illiterate  and  vulgar  creature ;  the  sentences  being 
generally  ungrammatical,  and  the  language  coarse. 
All  my  efforts  to  induce  this  person  to  let  others  write 
were  ineffectual. 

In  May.  1864,  I  left  New  York  for  Trenton,  New 
Jersey.  On  resuming  my  sittings  at  the  latter  place, 
the  communications  for  several  days  all  purported  to  be 
from  soldiers  who  had  lived  in  that  vicinity,  and  who 
had  been  killed  or  died  from  sickness  during  the  war. 
They  wished,  as  was  stated,  to  send  messages  to  their 
'friends  through  me,  but  I  took  no  steps  to  ascertain 
whether  such  persons  had  lived  there  or  not 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  after  my  arrival  at 
Trenton,  the  name  of  a  gentlemen  who  had  boarded 
during  the  past  winter  at  the  same  hotel  in  New  York 
as  myself,  and  whom  I  will  designate  as  Mr.  A,  was 
written.  As  I  had  seen  the  gentleman  the  day  pre- 
vious to  leaving  New  York,  this  purported  to  have  been 
a  very  sudden  death.  But  as  Mr.  A.  had  recently  re- 
ceived a  severe  injury,  from  which  he  had  not  entirely 
recovered  when  I  last  saw  him,  and  the  statement,  in 
reply  to  my  inquiry,  being  that  he  had  taken  a  severe 
cold,  which,  in  connection  with  his  injury,  had  caused 
his  death,  the  suddenness  of  the  death  did  not  seem  so 
very  improbable.  1  pat  a  few  questions  to  test  the 
identity,  though  not  expecting  to  be  convinced  by  the 


18  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

answers,  as  I  could  only  put  questions  the  correct 
answers  to  which  I  knew,  and  I  was  aware  that  the 
personator,  if  it  was  such,  might  obtain  the  answers 
from  mj  mind.  But  the  next  morning  I  found  New 
York  papers,  and  examined  the  obituary  notices  from 
the  date  given  as  that  of  the  death,  which  was  the  day 
following  that'on  which  I  left  New  York,  without  find- 
ing any  notice  of  the  death  of  Mr.  A. 

A  day  or  two  afterward  I  was  visited  by  one  giving 

her  name  as  Ellen ;  the  surname  I  could  not 

read,  and,  as  she  did  not  pretend  to  have  been  an  ac- 
quaintance, did  not  ask  to  have  it  rewritten.  This 
Ellen  appeared  to  have  no  definite  object  in  coming. 
She  was  excessively  vulgar;  admitted  having  lived  a 
depraved  life  in  our  world  ;  said  she  was  the  same  kind 
of  a  woman  now,  and  had  no  intention  or  desire  to  re- 
form. The  one  claiming  to  be  Mr.  A.  continued  to 
visit  me  and  assert  the  identity ;  and  for  two  or 
three  days  he  and  Ellen  performed  all  the  writing. 
Then  Mr.  A.,  as  I  will  continue  to  designate  this  vis- 
itor, made  what  seemed  to  be  a  very  good  suggestion, 
namely,  that  I  should  not  permit  Ellen  to  write — that  I 
should  stop  as  soon  as  I  detected  her  vulgar  style, 
which  I  could  generally  do  as  soon  as  a  few  words  were 
written. 

At  the  sitting  when  the  above  suggestion  was  made, 
Mr.  A.  stated  that  he  had  brought  a  young  lady  who 
had  been  an  acquaintance  of  his  in  our  world,  and  who 
wished  to  communicate  with  me.  The  young  lady 
then  gave  her  name  as  Miss  Annie  Allen.  She  stated 
that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  were  acquaintances  of  the  family 
of  which  she  was  a  member;  that  the  latter  resided  at 


INTRODUCTORY   NARRATIVE.  19 

No.  84  East  Twenty-second  street,  New  York,  and  that 
her  father  was  a  banker,  dealing  in  foreign  exchange. 
The  name  of  the  firm  of  which  her  father  was  a  member 
she  could  not  give,  nor  the  precise  location  of  the  office, 
thouglt  she  said  the  latter  was  in  one  of  the  streets  near 
Wall  street  Subsequently  she  gave  what  she  thought 
was  the  name  of  the  firm,  one  I  had  never  heard  of. 
Miss  Allen  appeared  to  have  no  object  in  visiting  me, 
other  than  to  unite  with  Mr.  A.  in  urging  that  I  would 
send  a  letter  from  the  latter  to  Mrs.  A.,  which  I  had  no 
intention  of  doing  until  I  had  learned  of  his  death  from 
some  other  source. 

Shortly  after  the  first  visit  of  Miss  Allen,  one  giving 
her  name  as  Mrs.  Arnold  came.  She  had  lived  and 
died,  as  she  stated,  at  South  Bend,  Ohio.  I  told  her  I 
was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  that  I  was  quite  confident 
there  was  no  such  place  in  the  State.  She,  however, 
insisted  she  was  correct,  but  was  unable  to  state  where 
South  Bend  was  located,  further  than  it  was  upon  some 
river.  This  female  also  continued  to  visit  me,  ap- 
parently without  any  definite  object  in  view. 

After  being  urged  for  some  time  to  permit  a  letter  to 
be  written  to  Mrs.  A.,  I  recollected  that  there  was  an 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  A.  then  in  Trenton,  who  would 
probably  be  advised  of  the  death  if  it  had  occurred, 
and  I  concluded  to  inquire  of  this  gentleman  when  I 
met  him.  Miss  Allen  then  said  that  she  had  been  ac- 
quainted with  this  gentleman  ;  and  a  day  or  two  after- 
ward she  informed  me  that  he  was  then  in  the  street 
near  my  hotel,  requesting  me  to  go  out  and  make  the 
inquiry.  I  should  state,  to  make  this  understood,  that 
at  this  time  these  invisible  beings  could  write  with  my 


20  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

hand  about  as  rapidly  as  I  could  by  the  exertion  of  my 
own  will ;  and  they  were  able  to  make  me  understand 
that  they  wished  to  write  something  when  I  was  not 
sitting  for  the  purpose.  This  intimation  was  given 
producing  the  sensation  of  being  taken  by  the  hand 
some  one.  At  the  time  I  was  requested  to  go  out  an 
make  this  inquiry  I  was  not  sitting  for  communications- 
but  feeling  the  signal  that  some  one  wished  to  write,  1 
granted  the  request 

Not  seeing  the  gentleman  when  I  went  out  of  tht 
hotel,  I  was  informed  in  the  same  way  that  he  had 
gone  into  a  bank  in  the  same  street ;  and  a  gentleman 
soon  came  out  of  the  bank  who,  as  intimated,  was  the 
one  thought  to  be  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  A.  There 
was  considerable  resemblance  in  the  two  individuals, 
though  not  a  very  striking  one,  and  this  gentleman  was 
several  years  younger  than  the  one  I  was  looking  for. 
On  returning  to  the  hotel  Miss  Allen  urged  me  to  go 
to  that  in  which  the  gentleman  was  boarding,  and  make 
the  inquiry.  I  told  her  that  if  she  would  go  to  his 
hotel  and  ascertain  thai;  he  was  in  I  would  do  so.  I 
had  no  reason  for  supposing  that  she  could  do  this, 
other  than  what  had  just  occurred.  She  replied  that 
she  would  go,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  feeling  the  signal, 
I  was  told  that  she  had  been  to  the  gentleman's  hotel 
and  saw  him  there.  I  asked  her  what  the  gentleman 
was  doing,  and  she  replied  that  he  was  sitting  at  a 
small  form,  but  that  she  could  not  s'ee,  or  did  not  notice 
— I  do  not  recollect  which  phrase  she  used — what  he 
was  doing.  This  hotel  was  in  a  street  crossing  that 
in  which  mine  was  situated,  and  the  distance  between 
the  two  hotels — following  the  streets — was  about  one 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  21 

hundred  and  fifty  yards.  I  went  to  the  hotel  and 
looked  in  the  two  principal  rooms  without  seeing  the 
gentleman ;  then  passed  out,  but  stopped  at  the  door  to 
let  Miss  Allen  write.  She  wrote  that  the  gentleman 
was  in  a  small  room  in  the  rear  of  the  one  I  last  looked 
in.  Entering  this  small  room,  I  saw  a  gentleman,  the 
only  person  in  the  room,  seated  at  a  small  plain  desk, 
reading  a  newspaper.  This  individual  did  not  at  all 
resemble  the  one  I  was  looking  for,  and  was  as  much 
older  as  the  one  first  mistaken  for  him  was  younger. 

Two  or  three  days  afterward  I  met  Mr.  A.'s  acquaint- 
ance, and  made  the  inquiry,  but  without  telling  him 
how  I  had  heard  of  the  death.  He  said  the  report  was 
not  true :  that  he  had  just  returned  from  New  York, 
and  when  there  called  at  Mr.  A.'s  office  to  see  him,  when 
he  was  told  that  Mr.  A.  had  just  gone  out 

To  my  great  surprise,  the  invisible  being  claiming  to 
be  Mr.  A.  still  insisted  that  he  was  that  individual,  and 
gave  the  following  as  an  explanation  of  the  mistake  of 
this  acquaintance :  He  said  he  had  a  cousin  in  New 
York  of  the  same  name  (surname)  as  his  own;  that 
when  his  acquaintance  inquired  for  him,  the  one  of 
whom  he  inquired  must  have  supposed  his  friend  knew 
of  his  death,  and  thought  the  inquiry  was  for  his  cousin. 
I  was  no  longer  urged  to  send  a  letter  to  Mrs.  A,  until 
I  had  learned  of  the  death  of  her  husband  ;  and  I  could 
perceive  no  possible  motive  in  urging  me  to  satisfy  my- 
self as  to  the  fact  if  the  death  had  not  occurred.  Fi- 
nally, although  still  suspecting  that  it  was  a  persona- 
tion, I  wrote  to  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  in  New  York, 
and  learned  that  Mr.  A.  was  still  boarding  there. 

This  terminated,  for  a  time,  the  communications  of 


22  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

Miss  Allen;  but  Mrs.  Arnold  continued  to  visit  me. 
She  said  that  the  individual  who  personated  Mr.  A. 
was  a  man,  and  that  she  supposed  he  was  Mr.  A.  ;  that 
she  had  herself  been  deceived  She  stated  what  she 
now  supposed  was  the  object  in  the  deception  ;  but  her 
explanation  was  not  very  lucid,  and  is  not  worth  re- 
peating. 

About  this  time,  which  was  the  latter  part  of  May,  I 
became  unwell,  and  stopped  sitting  for  communications  ; 
in  fact,  I  had  pretty  much  stopped  before  this,  as  few 
visited  me  at  Trenton  but  these  women,  and  I  could 
learn  nothing  from  them.  During  this  illness,  how- 
ever, I  acquired  the  faculty  of  hearing  these  beings. 
At  first  the  sensation  did  not  resemble  sound,  but  was 
rather  as  though  words  were,  in  some  way,  impressed 
upon  my  mind.  Gradually  this  sensation  changed,  and 
soon  became  the  same  as  hearing  one  of  our  world 


A  short  time  after  I  had  been  advised  by  the  person- 
ator  of  Mr.  A.  not  to  let  Ellen  write,  I  had  received  two 
or  three  electric  shocks  which  I  was  told  at  the  time  were 
caused  by  Ellen;  in  fact,  the  statement  to  this  effect 
purported  to  be  by  Ellen  herself;  and  the  reason  for 
causing  the  shocks  was  stated  to  be  my  refusal  to  let 
her  write.  These  shocks  caused  me  considerable  un- 
easiness and  apprehension  at  the  time,  though  they  were 
not  renewed.  But  during  my  illness,  and  after  I  had 
become  able  to  hear  these  beings,  I  was  awakened  one 
night  by  feeling  a  hand  grasping  my  throat  and  trying 
to  choke  me;  at  least,  such  was  the  sensation.  As 
soon  as  I  awoke,  Ellen  said  she  was  the  one  performing 
this,  and  that  she  intended  to  choke  me  to  death.  I 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  23 

soon  perceived,  however,  that  she  could  not  affect  my 
breathing,  and,  aside  from  the  annoyance,  cared  little 
about  it.  This  attempt  to  choke  me  was  renewed  dur- 
ing the  two  or  three  succeeding  nights,  and  was  an 
annoyance,  as  it  prevented  me  from  sleeping  soundly. 
I  found  that  I  could  stop  it  by  placing  my  hands 
around  my  throat,  but,  as  I  could  not  keep  them  there 
when  asleep,  I  concluded  the  best  course  would  be  to 
pay  no  attention  to  it,  and  try  to  make  Ellen  believe 
that  I  cared  nothing  about  it ;  though  she  asserted  that 
she  would  persecute  me  while  I  lived,  and  torment  me 
in  my  "  dying  agony." 

A  short  time  after  the  above  annoyance  commenced, 
I  awoke  in  the  middle  of  the  night  with  a  violent  pal- 
pitation of  the  heart,  and  feeling  that  my  limbs  were 
partially  paralyzed.  Ellen  said,  as  soon  as  I  awoke, 
that  she  had  been  operating  upon  the  action  of  my 
heart  while  I  was  asleep,  and  that  if  she  had  had  one 
hour  more — that  is,  before  I  awoke — "  she  would  have 
stopped  its  beating  forever."  This,  I  confess,  frightened 
me.  The  attempt  at  choking,  after  I  became  satisfied 
she  could  not  compress  the  windpipe,  merely  annoyed 
me,  as  a  similar  attempt  of  a  child  would  have  done ; 
but  this  operation  upon  my  heart  I  could  not  under- 
stand ;  and  the  idea  that  this  creature  might  have 
power  to  affect  its  action  while  I  was  asleep,  was  hor- 
rible. The  violent  palpitation  continued,  and  on  the 
two  succeeding  nights  when  I  went  to  bed  Ellen  said 
she  should  renew  her  operations  as  soon  as  I  fell  asleep. 
On  the  fourth  evening,  about  bedtime,  Mrs.  Arnold, 
who  continued  to  visit  me,  said  that  if  I  would  sit  up 
awhile  she  would  bring  my  father  and  other  male 


24  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

friends,  and  that  if  Ellen  did  not  then  leave  they  would 
kill  her.  In  a  short  time  I  was  told  she  had  brought 
my  father  and  a  former  male  acquaintance,  and  I  was 
directed  to  fix  my  mind  intently  upon  the  former.  It 
was  the"  warmest  night  of  an  unusually  warm  summer, 
and  I  should  not  have  slept  much  if  I  had  gone  to  bed. 
I  did  not  intend,  however,  to  sit  up  very  late,  but  I 
dozed  in  the  chair,  and  it  was  daylight  when  I  went  to 
bed.  I  was  then  told  that  Ellen  had  been  killed.  Al- 
though too  sleepy  to  think  much  about  it,  I  noticed 
that  her  talking  had  ceased,  and  I  never  afterward 
heard  anything  purporting  to  be  spoken  by  her. 

About  a  week  after  the  above  affair,  and  when  I  had 
nearly  recovered  my  health,  I  was  visited  by  one  who 

said  his  name  was  M ,  and  that  he  was  formerly 

president  of  the  M Bank,  iu  New  York.    I  had  been 

engaged  in  the  banking  business  in  New  York,  but  was 
not  acquainted  with  the  officers  of  this  bank.  I  thought, 
however,  that  I  recollected  the  name  given  as  being  that 
of  one  of  the  officers,  but  whether  president  or  cashier  I 
could  not  recollect  I  had  not  heard  of  the  death  of 
either  officer,  and  on  inquiring  of  the  visitor,  he  stated 
that  his  death  occurred  in  the  year  1860  or  1861 — I  am 
not  certain  which  of  these  dates  he  gave.  He  said  that 
when  in  our  world,  he  had  been  somewhat  interested  in 
Spiritualism,  and  had,  to  some  extent,  investigated  the 
subject ;  that  since  he  had  left  it,  he  had  visited  several 
mediums,  but  that  I  was  the  first  one  he  had  found  with 
whom  he  could  communicate.  On  asking  him  how  he 
had  found  me,  I  noticed  some  hesitation  in  the  reply, 
but  finally,  he  said  that  my  sister  had  told  him  about 
me. 


INTRODUCTORY  NAKRATTVE.  25 

On  the  succeeding  evening  this  individual  came  again ; 
but  in  the  meantime  I  had  examined  a  bank-note  re- 
porter and  found  that  a  Mr.  M was  then  president 

of  the  M Bank.  On  stating  this  at  the  second 

visit,  the  visitor  said  that  the  directors  of  the  bank  had 
told  him,  before  his  death,  that  they  would  continue  his 
name  as  president,  whether  he  was  alive  or  dead,  and 
he  supposed  they  were  doing  so.  This  reply  did  not 
indicate  much  knowledge* of  banking;  however,  per- 
ceiving that  he  understood  me  to  refer  to  the  reports,  or 
statements  of  the  bank,  I  told  him  that  what  I  had  ex- 
amined was  commonly  called  a  counterfeit- detector.  He 
then  said  that  it  must  be  his  son  who  was  president ; 
that  he  had  a  son  who  was  a  director  of  the  bank,  and 
who  must  have  been  elected  president,  though  he  had 
not  supposed  he  would  ba  This  visitor  had  not,  at 
this  time,  given  his  first  name,  and  I  believe  I  did  not 
tell  him  the  first  name  of  the  president ;  he  afterward 
gave  his,  which  was  not  that  of  the  president 

By"  this  time,  which  was  four  or  five  weeks  after  T 
had  gone  to  Trenton,  I  had  become  convinced  that  if 
any  relative  or  acquaintance  had  visited  me  at  all,  they 
had  more  often  been  personated  by  others.  As  I  have 
stated,  as  soon  as  it  became  feasible,  in  New  York,  to 
write  sentences  of  any  length  at  one  sitting,  one  illiter- 
ate individual  appeared  to  be  able  to  prevent  all  others 
from  writing.  In  Trenton,  the  only  visitor,  previous  to 
my  illness,  pretending  to  have  been  an  acquaintance, 
was  the  personator  of  Mr.  A.  During  my  illness  I  was 
visited,  as  represented,  by  my  sister  and  other  friends  ; 
but  I  was  not  then  in  a  condition  to  take  any  steps  to 
satisfy  myself  as  to  the  identity.  These  -visitors  spoke 


26  r    MODERN  DIA"BOtISSC 

of  former  residents  of  Cleveland,  but  mostly  of  per- 
sons who  had  died  or  left  the  place  when  I  was  quite 
young,  and  whom  I  had  almost  forgotten.  Mrs.  Arnold 
now  admitted  that  she  had  frequently  personated  my 
sister ;  but  as  she  did  not  pretend  to  have  ever  lived 
in  Cleveland,  her  personation  did  not  account  for  the 
knowledge  evinced  of  that  place.  T  had  received  no 
communication  from  any  one  pretending  to  be  a  rela- 
tive or  acquaintance  for  some  time  previous  to  the  visit 
of  this  late  bank  president,  as  the  individual  styled 
himself 

This  Mr.  M.,  as  I  will  designate  the  visitor,  stated 
that  I  differed  from  all  other  mediums ;  and  that  people 
of  his  world  who  could  not  communicate  with  any 
other  medium  could  do  so  with  me.  He  urged  me, 
therefore,  to  go  to  New  York  and  act  as  a  medium  for 
communications  to  wealthy  individuals ;  stating  that 
I  could  make  more  money  in  that  way  than  in  the 
business  in  which  I  was  engaged :  and  he  wished  me  to 
permit  him  to  act  in  some  way — how,  I  did  not  inquire 
— as  a  manager  of  the  business.  He  also  stated  that 
he  had  engaged  Miss  Allen  to  remain  with  me,  and  pre- 
vent, in  future,  the  personations  which  had  been  prac- 
ticed. Now,  this  Miss  Allen,  it  will  be  recollected,  had 
been  connected  with  the  personation  of  Mr.  A.,  since 
which  I  had  heard  nothing  from  her ;  but  Mr.  M.  said 
she  had  been  drawn  into  that  by  others,  and  much 
regretted  her  connection  with  it ;  and  that  as  she  had 
become  so  much  en  rapport  with  me,  it  would  be  better 
to  engage  her  for  the  purpose  tban  to  bring  another 
person. 

As  I  had  been  unable  to  learn  anything  about  the 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  27 

other  world  from  the  females,  I  attempted  to  do  so  from 
Mr.  M. ;  but  he  wished  to  postpone  entering  upon  that 
subject  until  I  went  to  New  York.  I  told  him,  how- 
ever, that  I  should  not  act  as  a  public  medium ;  that 
I  intended  to  pass  the  coming  winter  in  New  York, 
and  would,  perhaps,  serve,  in  a  few  instances,  evenings. 
With  this  he  was  obliged  to  be  content ;  but  said  he 
wished  to  have  some  one  of  our  world  interested  in  the 
matter,  and  would  like  to  make  arrangements  at  once 
for  this  purpose.  He  requested,  therefore,  that  I 
would  permit  him  to  write,  through  me,  a  letter  to  a 
gentleman  in  New  York,  and  have  a  reply  sent  to  me 
at  Trenton.  This  I  refused,  recollecting  the  recent  at- 
tempt to  have  me  send  a  letter  to  Mrs.  A.;  and  although 
Mr.  M.'s  communications  differed  very  much  from  those 
of  the  personator  of  Mr.  A.,  I  was  not  satisfied  that  he 
was  the  late  bank  president 

At  one  of  the  visits  of  Mr.  M. — to  state  the  matter  in 
its  sequence — I  asked  him  if  he  had  met  in  the  other 
world  a  Mr.  W.,  late  a  prominent  New  York  banker, 
with  whom  I  had  been  slightly  acquainted.  This  Mr. 
W.  died  four  or  five  years  prior  to  the  time  of  which  I 
am  writing ;  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  state  why  the  visit 
and  conversation  of  Mr.  M.  recalled  the  former  to  my 
recollection.  Mr.  M.  replied  that  he  had  not  met  him, 
and  asked  when  he  died,  thus  intimating  that  he  had 
not  been  aware  of  his  death.  The  name  of  Mr.  "W. 
was  not  again  mentioned  until  as  will  be  hereafter 
stated. 

At  another  time  Mr.  M.  brought,  as  stated,  a  large 
party  to  see  me.  I  was  told  the  party  consisted  of 
about  forty  persons ;  but  the  names  of  only  five  were 


28  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

given  me.  These  were  Howard,  the  English  philan- 
thropist; Daboll,  author  of  an  arithmetic;  Dudley  M., 
of  whom  I  knew  very  little ;  Mr.  T.,  late  president  of 
a  New  York  bank,  who  died  the  preceding  winter;  and 
Mr.  K.,  late  a  New  York  stock-broker,  with  whom  I 
had  been  acquainted — rather  a  queer  collection. 

Dudley  M.  I  knew  nothing  about,  further  than  that 
he  was  a  resident  of  one  of  the  Southern  States ;  but  I 
had  seen  in  a  newspaper,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
late  war,  a  statement  that  he  had  gone  to  Europe  as  an 
agent  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  On  mentioning 
this,  I  was  told  that  he  died  in  Paris. 

The  death  of  Mr.  K.  occurred  in  the  preceding  sum- 
mer ;  but  not  having  been  in  New  York  at  the  time, 
I  did  not  learn  of  it  until  autumn,  when  I  was  told 
that  he  had  committed  suicide.  He  inquired  if  I  had 
heard  of  his  death,  and  I  repeated  to  him  what  I  had 
been  told.  At  this  he  professed,  at  first,  to  be  very  in- 
dignant, asserting  that  his  death  was  accidental.  Be- 
fore the  meeting  adjourned,  however,  he  confessed  that 
he  had  committed  suicide  in  consequence  of  pecuniary 
embarrassment;  but  as  the  gentleman  who  gave  me  the 
information  was  not  an  acquaintance  of  his,  and  knew 
very  little  about  the  matter,  he  requested  that  I  would, 
when  next  I  went  to  New  York,  ascertain  whether  his 
acquaintances  believed  that  he  had  committed  suicide. 
My  business  called  me  frequently  to  New  York,  and  I 
promised  to  make  the  inquiry,  which  I  did,  and  learned 
there  was  no  doubt  that  such  was  the  fact 

I  had  not  sufficient  confidence  in  the  identity  of  the 
individual  claiming  to  be  the  late  bank  president  to  give 
my  address  to  any  one  to  whom  he  might  wish  to  write ; 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  29 

but.  finally,  I  consented  to  send  his  letter,  and  call  for 
an  answer  in  New  York.  Accordingly,  one  day,  about 
the  first  of  July,  I  held  the  pencil  for  him  to  write,  as 
he  seemed  to  prefer  this  course  to  dictating  orally.  I 
had  not  previously  been  informed,  or  inquired,  who  the 
letter  would  be  written  to.  It  was  addressed  to  David 

A.  L ,  and  reminded  him  that  he  and  the  writer 

had  together  investigated  Spiritualism  about  four  years 
since  ;  stated  that  the  latter  had  at  last  found  a  medium 
through  whom  he  could  communicate ;  and  inquired  if 
he,  Mr.  L.,  would  not  co-operate  with  him  in  what  he 
was  about  to  undertake.  The  letter  was  signed,  "  Jos. 

M ,  late  of  the  old  M Bank."     Mr.  M.  did  not 

state  definitely  what  the  undertaking  was,  or  what  co- 
operation on  the  part  of  Mr.  L.  was  desired  ;  nor  did  he 
state  anything,  beyond  the  fact  of  their  having  investi- 
gated Spiritualism  in  company,  calculated  to  make  Mr. 
L.  believe  in  the  genuineness  of  the  letter.  When  the 
name  of  Mr.  L.  was  written,  I  thought  I  had  seen  it 
with  the  prefix  of  Reverend;  and  on  asking  Mr.  M. 
about  this,  he  said  he  believed  Mr.  L.  had  been  a  cler- 
gyman, but  that  he  was  not  now  usually  addressed  as 
Eeverend,  and  directed  me  to  omit  the  title.  This  let- 
ter I  enclosed  with  a  copy,  fearing  Mr.  L.  would  not 
be  able  to  read  the  original. 

A  few  days  afterward  I  went  to  New  York,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  M.,  and  called  for  the  answer,  but  re- 
ceived none,  at  which  the  latter  expressed  great  sur- 
prise. Mr.  M.  then  requested  me  to  go  into  Wall 
street,  and  I  visited,  with  him,  several  places,  one  of 

which  was  the  M Bank  ;  but  it  struck  me  as  a  little 

singular  that  he  said  nothing  about  visiting  the  latter 


80  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

until  I  asked  him  if  he  wished  to  go  there.  Then  he 
replied,  "  O  yes,  go  there  next"  On  leaving  the  cus- 
tom-house Mr.  M.  inquired  what  bankers  and  stock- 
brokers I  was  acquainted  with.  I  named,  among 
others,  a  prominent  banking  firm  in  Exchange  place. 
Mr.  M.  requested  me  to  visit  this  firm  and  en 
gage  the  senior  member  in  conversation  on  business 
topics,  saying  he  wanted  "  to  hear  him  talk."  I  entered 
the  office,  and,  after  conversing  a  few  minutes  with  the 
banker,  Mr.  M.  said,  "  Ask  him  if  it  is  my  son  who  is 
now  president  of  the  M Bank."  Bather  thought- 
lessly I  put  the  question  as  requested,  asking  the  banker 

if  the  Mr.  M.  now  president  of  the  M Bank,  was 

a  son  of  the  former  president  The  banker  replied, 
"  Why,  it  is  the  same  man — there  has  been  no  change  ;" 
from  which  I  inferred  that  no  president  of  the  bank  had 
recently  died,  and  that  this  was  another  silly  persona- 
tion now  ended.  But  on  leaving  the  office,  the  invisi- 
ble person,  still  claiming  to  be  Mr.  M.,  asserted  that  the 
banker  was  mistaken,  and  requested  me  to  make  an- 
other inquiry.  In  Wall  street  I  met  another  banker 
of  my  acquaintance,  and,  putting  the  question  properly 
this  time,  learned  that  a  president  of  the  bank  had  re- 
cently died,  but  that  his  name  was  H ,  and  that 

Mr.  M.,  the  present  president,  was  formerly  cashier. 
On  learning  this,  which  he  did  without  my  repeating 
it,  the  personator  of  Mr.  M.  seemed  to  be  really  con- 
fused. He  said,  "  We  will  have  to  give  it  up,  won't 
we,  sir?" — a  remark  I  could  not  understand,  as  I  could 
perceive  no  room  for  doubt  that  he  would  have  to  give 
up  personating  Mr.  M.  He  said  he  was  going  to  leave, 
and  bid  me  good-by.  in  Wall  street 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  81 

I  supposed  this  personation  had  ended  like  that  of  Mr. 
A.  ;  and  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  perceive  any  amuse- 
ment in  such  deceptions.  But  on  the  same  evening, 
while  I  was  sitting  on  the  piazza  of  the  hotel  at  Tren- 
ton, this  invisible  being  came  again.  He  now  said  that 
he  had  forgotten  what  his  name  was  in  our  world,  but 

that  he  had  been  "  home  "  and  learned  it  was  H . 

I  reminded  him  that  on  leaving  the  M Bank,  he 

said  he  saw  his  son  there.  He  replied,  "  Well,  I  sup- 
pose I  must  have  been  mistaken  about  that,  too."  He 
expressed  himself  gratified  at  finding  me  so  calm  ;  said 
that  if  he  was  in  my  place  he  should  be  in  a  terrible 
passion  ;  and  only  requested  that  I  would  suspend  my 
judgment  as  to  his  being  Mr.  H.  until  I  went  to  New 
York  in  the  autumn,  when  he  would  fully  satisfy  me. 

As  to  suspending  my  judgment,  it  made  no  particu- 
lar difference,  so  far  as  I  could  perceive,  whether  I  did 
or  not ;  but  as  Miss  Allen  continued  with  me,  and  talked 
as  though  she  expected  me  to  act  as  a,  medium  when  I 
went  to  New  York,  I  told  her  that  I  should  not  do  so, 
even  if  I  became  satisfied  that  this  visitor  was  Mr.  H.  ; 
for,  if  they  forget  their  former  names,  they  certainly 
could  not  satisfactorily  identify  themselves  to  their 
friends  in  our  world.  To  this  she  replied  that  Mr.  H. 
was  a  singular  man  in  that  respect ;  that  she  could  rec- 
ollect every  incident  of  her  former  life,  and  that  most  per- 
sons of  her  world  could  do  the  same.  But  she  added  that, 
as  they  had  now  discovered  how  forgetful  some  persons 
were,  when  I  acted  as  a  medium,  every  one  who  came 
to  communicate  would  be  cautioned  to  refresh  their 
memory  before  coming,  and,  consequently,  there  would 
occur  no  more  mistakes  of  the  kind. 


82  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

Mr.  H.,  as  I  will  now  designate  this  individual,  vis- 
ited me  occasionally  after  this,  but  without  urging  me 
to  take  any  further  steps  in  reference  to  acting  as  a 
medium ;  everything  being  postponed  until  I  went  to 
New  York  to  pass  the  winter.  At  one  of  these  visits 
Mr.  H.  inquired  of  me  as  to  my  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
EL,  the  stock- broker,  who,  it  will  be  recollected,  he  had 
brought  to  see  me.  He  said  that  Mr.  K  had  repre- 
sented himself  as  having  been  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance of  mine  before  either  of  us  went  to  New  York  to 
resida  This,  I  informed  Mr.  H.,  was  not  the  fact,  stat- 
ing the  commencement  and  nature  of  our  acquaintance. 
He  then  said  that  in  consequence  of  the  representations 
of  Mr.  EL  as  to  our  intimacy,  it  had  been  decided  to 
have  him  connected  with  the  business — that  is,  in  some 
way  connected  with  my  agency  as  a  mediunii — but  that 
lie  had  known  Mr.  K.  in  our  world,  and  considered  him 
then  a  great  rascal ;  that  he  was  now  "  a  poor  misera- 
ble creature,"  and,  therefore,  as  I  said  he  was  not  an 
intimate  acquaintance,  he  would  have  no  connection 
with  them.  Miss  Allen  subsequently  spoke  of  Mr.  EL, 
in  reference  to  his  present  character,  in  the  same  terms  ; 
but  how  she  happened  to  know  anything  about  him 
she  did  not  state,  and  I  did  not  inquire. 

About  the  middle  of  July  I  went  to  Long  Branch. 
In  the  morning  of  the  day  I  left  Trenton,  Miss  Allen 
said  she  was  not  going  with  me,  but  that  she  should 
go  there  in  the  evening  ;  and  before  I  left,  Mrs.  Arnold, 
from  whom  I  had  not  heard  since  about  the  time  of 
the  first  visit  of  Mr.  H.,  came  and  said  that  she  was  to 
accompany  me  at  the  request  of  Mr.  H. 

When  informed,  in  New  York,  of  the  death  of  Mr. 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  38 

EL,  I  made  no  inquiry  as  to  the  date,  presuming  that 
ended  the  matter ;  but  when  again  in  New  York,  on 
my  way  to  Long  Branch,  I  made  this  inquiry  of  a  bank 
cashier,  and  was  told  that  the  death  occurred  in  the 
year  1860  or  1861,  the  cashier  was  not  certain  which 
of  these  dates  was  the  correct  one.  I  also  learned  that 

a  Mr.  H.  was  a  director  of  the  M Bank  ;  but 

whether  a  son  of  the  former  president,  or  not,  I  did 
not  learn,  and  have  not  since  inquired. 

On  the  boat  I  was  annoyed  by  a  man  of  the  other 
world,  who  talked  like  one  of  the  lowest  and  vilest 
class  of  ours.  Whea  I  requested  him  to  leave  me,  he 
replied,  "  D — n  you,  sir,  do  you  know  that  I  could  pick 
you  up  and  throw  you  overboard?"  During  the  suc- 
ceeding night  at  Long  Branch  I  was  further  annoyed 
and  prevented  from  sleeping  soundly  by  this  person's 
constant  talking.  I  heard  nothing  from  Miss  Allen 
this  first  night,  but  in  the  morning  she  came,  and 
accounted  for  her  absence  by  saying  that  she  thought  I 
was  going  to  Newport,  and  that  she  had  gone  there. 
The  annoying  talker  continued  with  me,  talking  in  the 
same  coarse  style,  all  this  second  day.  Miss  Allen  said 
there  were  three  men  present,  and  that  the  object  of 
their  visit  was  to  induce  me  to  act  as  a  medium  for 
them,  instead  of  Mr.  H.  I  never  could  distinguish  any 
difference  of  tone,  or  quality,  in  the  voices  of  these  in- 
visible persons,  and  therefore  could  not  tell  whether 
there  was  more  than  one  or  not ;  but  the  repeated  and 
silly  threats  to  kill  me  did  not  indicate  much  expecta- 
tion that  I  would  act  as  a  medium  for  them. 

When  I  went  to  my  room,  the  second  night  after  my 
arrival,  I  perceived  that  I  was  again  to  be  prevented 


84  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

from  sleeping  by  this  talking.  Miss  Allen  then  said, 
that  if  I  would  go  out  and  walk  awhile,  fixing  my  mind 
intently  on  her,  she  would  kill  these  three  men.  This, 
taken  literally,  was  rather  a  strange  proposition,  I  had 
not  been  able  to  learn  the  nature  of  the  operation  by 
which  I  had,  as  I  supposed,  got  rid  of  Ellen.  It  had 
never  occurred  to  me  when  Mr.  H.  was  present  to  make 
the  inquiry  of  him,  and  neither  Miss  Allen  or  Mrs. 
Arnold  would  make  any  other  reply  to  my  questions  on 
this  point,  than  that  she  bad  actually  been  killed. 
Whatever  the  operation  might  have  been,  I  believed 
that  by  means  of  it  I  had  been  relieved,  either  of  Ellen's 
presence,  or  from  her  power  to  annoy  me  if  she  was 
present  I  judged  so,  not  merely  from  the  fact  that 
physical  annoyance  had  then  ceased,  but  also  because  I 
had  since  heard  nothing  purporting  to  be  spoken  by  her. 
And  I  inferred,  also,  that  the  action  of  my  mind,  or  will, 
must  have  had  an  important  agency  in  affecting  the 
deliveranca 

It  being  a  fine  moonlight  night,  I  went  out  and 
walked  on  the  bluff,  thinking  as  directed,  until  Miss 
Allen  said  two  of  the  men  were  killed,  and  the  other 
had  left  I  then  returned  to  my  room,  when  the  talk- 
ing was  as  incessant  as  before ;  but  Miss  Allen  affirmed 
that  those  now  talking  were  not  the  three  men,  but 
females.  No  further  attempt  was  made  to  kill  any  one, 
and,  after  this  night,  I  suffered  no  further  annoyance 
during  my  stay  at  Long  Branch.  But  Miss  Allen  in- 
formed me  that,  as  her  talking  increased  the  power  of 
others  to  talk,  she  would  thereafter  make  her  commu- 
nications by  writing.  And  from  this  time  there  was 
constantly  some  one  with  me  who  appeared  to  be  acting 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  85 

m  opposition  to  Miss  Allen,  and  interfering  when  the 
latter  attempted  to  communicate.  Miss  Allen  said  this 
was  a  female  who  came  the  second  night  after  my 
arrival  thera  Mrs.  Arnold,  on  the  second  morning, 
said  she  was  going  to  leave  me,  and  I  never  afterward 
heard  anything  from  her. 

At  Long  Branch  I  did  not  sit  for  the  purpose  of 
receiving  communications,  in  fact  I  had  ceased  doing 
so  before  leaving  Trenton ;  but  at  the  former  place  I 
would  occasionally  be  told  that  a  visitor  from  the  other 
world  was  present  One  of  the  names  thus  given  me 

was  that  of  Mary  M ,  an  individual  I  could  not  at  first 

recollect,  and,  finally,  only  remembered  having  heard 
when  quite  young,  of  the  death  of  such  a  person  at 
Cleveland  She  had  no  communication  to  make,  and 
appeared  to  have  merely  come  from  curiosity.  Another 
visitor  there  was  an  acquaintance  who  died  in  New  York 
the  preceding  spring,  and  whom  I  will  designate  as 
Mr.  B.  Before  leaving  Trenton  I  had  been  told  Mr.  B. 
would  be  associated  with  Mr.  H.  in  the  proposed  busi- 
ness ;  that  he  had  left  his  family  in  rather  needy  cir- 
cumstances, and  wished  his  daughter — a  young  lady  I 
had  met  several  times,  but  with  whom  I  had  not  much 
acquaintance — to  be  associated  with  me.  The  idea  I 
received  was,  that  it  was  still  expected  I  would  be  in- 
duced to  act  as  a  public  medium ;  that,  as  I  would  be 
visited  by  ladies,  it  would  be  proper  there  should  be  a 
lady  present  to  receive  them ;  and  that  Mr.  B.  wished 
his  daughter  to  have  this  position.  It  was.  as  repre- 
sented, to  converse  upon  this  subject  that  Mr.  B.  came 
to  see  me  at  Long  Branch ;  but,  according  to  my  recol- 
lection, there  was  very  little  said  about  the  matter. 


36  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

About  the  middle  of  August  I  returned  to  Trenton  ; 
and  on  the  third  of  September  came  to  New  York,  with 
the  intention  of  remaining  here  during  the  autumn 
and  winter.  Mr.  H.,  who  had  not  visited  me  at  Long 
Branch,  now  came,  but  made  an  excuse  for  not  attempt- 
ing to  identify  himself,  as  promised,  of  the  difficulty  in 
communicating,  owing  to  the  interference  of  the  female 
who  had  followed  me  from  Long  Branch.  It  really 
seemed  to  be  difficult  at  this  time  even  for  Miss  Allen 
to  communicate  ;  whether  she  exaggerated  the  difficulty 
or  not,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  determine.  This 
female  had  become  somewhat  of  an  annoyance  to  me, 
and  Mr.  H.  stated  that  steps  were  being  taken  to  have 
all  such  interferences  and  annoyances  prevented. 

On  the  14th  of  September  I  was  obliged  to  return  to 
Trenton.  Before  leaving  New  York  I  was  assured 
by  Miss  Allen  that  as  soon  as  I  returned  I  would  be 
relieved  of  this  female.  This  word  relieved,  which  was 
subsequently  often  used,  and  which  for  brevity  I  will 
also  use,  meant  sometimes  one  thing,  and  sometimes 
another.  Sometimes  it  meant  the  removal  of  two 
females ;  sometimes  of  three  ;  sometimes  of  only  one ; 
sometimes  it  meant  they  were  to  be  removed  bodily, 
and  by  force ;  at  other  tunes,  merely  that  their  power 
of  annoyance  and  interference  was  to  be  overcome,  it 
being  stated  that  those  of  the  other  world  had  no  power 
to  move  each  other  against  the  will. 

I  returned  to  New  York  on  the  29th  of  September, 
and  again  excuses  were  offered  for  the  delay  in  remov- 
ing this  female.  All  doubts  as  to  the  individual  repre- 
senting himself  to  be  Mr.  H.  being  a  personator  were 
soon  removed  from  my  mind,  and  I  also  soon  became 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  37 

convinced  that  Miss  Allen  had  never  lived  in  New 
York,  as  represented  when  she  first  visited  me.  And  I 
now  doubted  whether  I  had  received  a  single  commu- 
nication from  a  relative  or  friend  in  the  other  world. 
Whether  this  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  my  friends 
knew  nothing  about  my  situation,  or  that  being  with 
me  they  were  unable  to  communicate,  I  had  no  means 
of  determining.  But,  as  the  action  of  my  will  seemed 
to  have  great  effect,  I  adopted  the  plan  of  sitting  at  a 
table,  holding  a  pencil  on  paper,  and  thinking  intently 
of  a  relative  as  being  present,  trying  the  effect  with 
different  ones.  This  Miss  Allen  urgently  opposed, 
asserting  that  if  she  did  not  constantly  exert  herself  to 
prevent,  the  other  female  would  write,  and  thus  her 
power  would  be  increased. 

To  induce  me  to  stop  this  practice,  my  father,  as  rep- 
resented, was  brought ;  and,  as  tests  of  identity,  several 
incidents  were  narrated  which,  at  the  time,  appeared  to 
me  satisfactory.  I  was  assured  that  I  would  soon  be 
"  relieved,"  and  advised  to  wait  patiently ;  and  when  I 
requested  that  a  period  should  be  named  within  which 
I  would  be  "relieved,"  this  was  done.  But  this  time 
passed  without  my  being  "relieved,"  and  I  then  con- 
cluded my  father  had  been  personated.  The  incidents 
given  as  tests  of  identity  I  had  frequently  thought  of 
since  their  occurrence  ;  and,  although  I  was  not  aware 
of  having  done  so  for  many  years  prior  to  this  time,  I 
now  felt  it  would  be  strange  if  my  father  happened  to 
narrate  only  the  same  trivial  incidents  I  had  recollected. 
I  concluded  the  incidents  must  have  been  obtained  from 
my  mind ;  but  inasmuch  as  I  could  not  recollect  having 


38  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

thought  recently  of  them,  how  this  was  accomplished 
was  to  me  a  mystery. 

I  resumed  the  practice  of  sitting  for  writing ;  for 
although  I  could  perceive  there  might  be  some  force  in 
the  argument  urged  against  it  by  Miss  Allen,  I  also 
knew  that  she  was,  for  some  purpose,  attempting  to 
deceive  me,  or  she  would  have  my  friends  brought,  and 
permit  them  to  communicate  with  me.  Mr.  B.  next 
came,  as  represented,  to  induce  me  to  be  patient 
Although  Mr.  B.  was  not  an  intimate  acquaintance,  I 
felt  it  would  be  some  satisfaction  to  know  that  any  one 
of  the  other  world  with  whom  I  had  been  in  the  least 
acquainted  had  visited  me,  and  I  requested  this  visitor 
to  identify  himself  For  this  purpose,  he  stated  that  he 
had  visited  me  at  Long  Branch.  I  replied  that  that 
might  be  true,  but  how  it  identified  him  as  Mr.  B.  I 
could  not  perceive.  "  Oh,  well,  I  will  satisfy  you  of 
that,"  he  said,  and  narrated  an  incident  which  did  satisfy 
me,  for  I  felt  confident  this  could  not  have  been  obtained 
from  my  mind.  Mr.  B.  named  another  period  within 
which  I  would  be  "  relieved,"  which  period  also  elapsed 
without  anything  being  done.  I  then  concluded  Mr. 
B.  must  also  have  been  personated ;  but  was  completely 
mystified  as  to  how  knowledge  of  the  incident  related 
could  have  been  obtained.  I  ought  to  have  required 
more  than  one  incident  to  be  given ;  but  as  the  one  pre- 
tending to  be  Mr.  B.,  as  soon  as  I  appeared  to  be  satisfied 
of  the  identity,  commenced  conversing  on  the  subject 
of  his  daughter  being  associated  with  me,  I  neglected 
to  do  so. 

About  the  middle  of  November,  my  father,  as  repre- 
sented, came  again ;  but  I  instituted  no  further  tests  as 


INTRODUCTORY   NARRATIVE.  89 

to  identity.  Frivolous  excuses  were  given  for  the 
delay,  but  it  was  now  stated  that  I  would  certainly  be 
"  relieved  "  on  or  before  the  second  Monday  in  Decem- 
ber. As  the  word  relieved  is  so  frequently  used,  I  would 
state  that  at  this  time  the  annoyances  caused  by  the 
female  said  to  have  followed  me  from  Long  Branch  were 
not  very  great ;  but  her  interference  was  assigned  as  the 
reason  why  none  of  my  friends  could  communicate  with 
me,  further  than  to  the  extent  of  a  very  few  words  at  a 
time ;  and  as,  so  far,  I  had  learned  absolutely  nothing 
about  the  other  world,  and  was  not  satisfied  that  any 
friend  of  mine  there  had  communicated  with  me  at  all, 
I  was  desirous  that  this  difficulty,  or  excuse,  whichever 
it  might  be,  should  be  removed. 

Several  days  prior  to  the  expiration  of  the  period  last 
named,  Mr.  H.,  as  this  person  still  called  himself,  said 
it  was  desired  that  I  should  go  to  England  as  soon  as 
"  relieved ;  "  and  a  day  or  two  after  speaking  of  this  he 
came  again  in  the  morning  and  informed  me  that  a  cer- 
tain individual,  late  of  high  rank  in  our  world,  and  who 
died  in  England  about  three  years  prior  to  the  time  of 
which  I  am  now  writing,  was  coming  to  see  me  at  an 
hour  then  agreed  upon  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. 
The  revelations  made  by  this  individual  when  he  came, 
and  which  I  am  now  informed  were  substantially  correct, 
implicate  persons  now  living  in  England  as  having  been 
connected  with  him  in  the  perpetration  of  a  fraud  of  so 
very  grave  a  character  that  I  must  suppress  his  late  title, 
and  will  designate  him  as  the  Count,  The  Count  was  a 
German  by  birth,  but  married  an  English  lady  of  high 
rank,  and  passed  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  in 
England. 


40  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

Mr.  BL,  as  for  convenience  I  will  continue  to  designate 
this  individual,  at  his  visit  in  the  morning  stated  that 
the  Count  wished  me  to  go  to  England  as  soon  as  "  re- 
lieved ; "  that  it  was  desired  Miss  B.  should  go  with  me ; 
and  that,  as  a  matter  of  propriety,  a  lady  would  have  to 
accompany  her.  Mr.  H.  wished  that  the  daughter  of  a 
friend  of  his — a  New  York  banker  with  whom  I  had  no 
acquaintance — should  be  this  companion ;  but  he  pre- 
ferred that  I  should  name  the  lady  to  the  Count,  when 
he  spoke  about  the  matter,  as  being  my  own  selection. 
I  did  not  like  this  proposition,  and  asked  Mr.  H.  what 
he  expected  me  to  say  in  case  the  Count  inquired  if  the 
lady  was  an  acquaintance  of  mine,  or  why  I  proposed 
her.  "In  that  case,"  he  replied,  "tell  him  that  I 
suggested  her."  I  saw  no  particular  objection  to  this, 
and  agreed  to  do  as  requested. 

The  Count  came  at  the  hour  appointed,  and  at  once 
entered  upon  the  subject  of  my  going  to  England,  of 
Miss  B.  going  with  me,  and  inquired  who  I  would  like 
to  have  accompany  her.  I  named  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
H.'s  friend — provided,  of  course,  I  went ;  but,  as  yet,  no 
reason  for  expecting  me  to  go  to  England  had  been 
given.  The  Count  said  he  got  the  impression  from  my 
manner  that  there  was  something  wrong  about  this  lady, 
and  inquired  as  to  my  acquaintance  with  her.  I  told 
him  that  I  had  no  acquaintance  whatever  with  her,  and 
that  she  had  been  proposed  by  Mr.  H.  The  Count  then 
expressed  dissatisfaction  with  my  course  in  the  matter, 
when  I  told  him  he  might  as  well  drop  the  subject  of 
my  going  to  England,  for  that  I  had  no  desire  to  go. 
After  a  little  delay,  he  said  he  had  received  the  impres- 
sion from  my  manner  that  the  lady  was  a  bad  character ; 


INTRODUCTORY   NARRATIVE.  41 

but  that  the  matter  had  been  satisfactorily  explained  by 
Mr.  H. 

The  Count  then  made  a  statement,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  the  substance,  given  in  as  few  words  as 
possible: — Soon  after  his  marriage  he  received  an  in- 
jury— the  nature  of  which  will  be  understood  from 
what  follows — for  which  he  was  under  the  care  of 
surgeons  about  two  years.  During  these  two  years  his 
wife,  with  his  assent,  cohabited  with  another  man.  The 
first  child  of  his  wife  is  legitimate,  the  two  second 
children  are  illegitimate;  the  first  is.  a  daughter,  the 
second  a  son,  and  the  latter,  therefore,  is  acknowledged 
as  the  heir.  r  */:. 

He  then  proposed  that  I  should  go  to  England,  and, 
without  making  the  facts  generally  known,  make  use  of 
my  knowledge  of  the  same  for  my  own  benefit  The 
utter  absurdity  and  impracticability  of  the  scheme  he 
proposed,  assuming  his  statement  to  be  true,  I  did  not 
at  the  moment  perceive;  for,  in  consequence  of  the  in- 
terference of  the  unknown  female,  it  was  so  difficult  for 
him  to  write  that,  in  order  to  enable  him  to  do  so,  I  was 
obliged  to  fix  my  mind  intently  on  him,  and  could  not 
think  much  about  what  was  written.  However,  I  told 
him  that  I  should  not  enter  into  the  scheme,  when  he 
expressed  himself  as  being  very  much  gratified  with  my 
decision ;  and  stated  that  he  wished  to  have  the  facts 
made  known,  and  the  matter  rectified  as  far  as  possible. 
As  I  was  the  only  one  of  our  world  through  whom  he 
could  communicate,  he  wished  me  to  go  to  England  and 
place  him  in  communication  with  the  widow,  that  the 
matter  might  be  adjusted  as  peaceably  as  possible.  The 
condensed  statement  I  have  given  hardly  explains  why 


42  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

I  should  be  expected  to  go  to  England  on  this  business; 
but  there  is  a  fraud  on  the  British  nation  connected  with 
the  matter,  which  I  cannot  state  without  naming  the 
parties. 

The  Count  wrote  for  more  than  two  hours,  and  until 
I  refused  to  sit  any  longer ;  he  then  made  an  appoint- 
ment for  the  next  afternoon  at  the  same  hour.  At  the 
appointed  hour  he  came  again  and  wrote  for  about  the 
same  length  of  time  as  before,  when  I  again  told  him  I 
could  sit  no  longer.  Most  of  what  he  wrote  was  non- 
sensical and  incoherent ;  but  the  language  indicated  the 
writer  to  be  an  educated  man ;  the  phrase  educated  fool 
will  express  with  tolerable  accuracy  the  impression  I 
subsequently  received  from  what  he  had  written ;  at  the 
time  of  writing,  as  I  have  stated,  I  could  not  fairly 
exercise  my  judgment  During  the  two  sittings  I  fully 
believed  the  writer  to  be  the  Count ;  and  my  impression 
that  the  writer  was  the  person  he  represented  himself 
to  be  was  much  stronger  than  it  had  ever  been  before 
when  receiving  a  communication  from  one  of  these  in- 
visible beings.  This  impression  I  was  never  afterward 
able  wholly  to  shake  off,  though  my  judgment  was  that 
the  visitor  was  another  personator. 

When  I  inquired  why  he  wished  Miss  B.  to  go  to 
England,  he  replied,  in  substance,  that  he  wished  to 
have  the  matter  adjusted  without  a  resort  to  legal  pro- 
ceedings; that  Miss  B.,  by  means  which  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  state,  was  to  prevail  upon  the  eldest  son  to 
relinquish  his  rank  and  title.  A  few  minutes  before, 
lie  had  expressed  dissatisfaction  at  the  idea  of  a  female 
of  doubtful  character  accompanying  Miss  B.  At  the 
first  sitting  he  stated  that  the  father  of  the  two  illegiti- 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  43 

mate  children  was  a  certain  individual,  late  of  high  rank 
in  our  world,  at  this  time  in  his,  who  accompanied  the 
eldest  son  on  a  visit  to  the  United  States  a  year  or  two 
previous  to  the  Count's  death.  At  the  second  sitting 
he  retracted  this  statement,  and  said,  first,  that  as  his 
wife  had  cohabited  with  several  individuals  during  the 
two  years,  he  could  not  tell  who  was  the  father ;  but  al 
most  immediately  retracted  this  statement,  and  said  he 
would  rather  not  give  me  the  name  of  the  father.  At 
the  first  sitting  he  said  his  widow  would  soon  give 
birth  to  a  son  of  whom  he  was  the  father ;  and  offered 
me,  as  an  inducement  to  go  to  England,  the  position  of 
tutor  to  this  baby,  with  a  salary  of  eight  thousand  pounds 
per  annum.  That  is,  a  boy  of  whom  he  was  the  father 
was  to  be  born  about  three  years  after  his  death  ;  and  as 
I  was  only  requested  to  agree  to  remain  in  England  four 
years,  the  child  of  whom  I  was  to  be  tutor,  with  a  quite 
liberal  salary,  would  be  about  four  years  of  age  when  I 
left  At  the  second  sitting,  an  inducement  of  a  differ- 
ent nature  was  offered,  and  the  proposition  was  that  I 
should  remain  permanently  in  England.  What  this 
second  offer  was  it  would  be  improper  to  state,  especially 
as  I  am  now  informed  it  was  made  in  good  faith,  and 
that  others  besides  the  Count  believed  the  scheme  to  be 
practicable.  The  proposition  appeared  to  me  about  as 
absurd  as  any  other  of  his  statements.  No  decision 
was  expected  of  me  until  I  had  been  relieved  of  the 
interfering  female,  and  my  friends  of  the  other  world 
had  satisfied  me  as  to  the  identity  of  the  visitor,  and 
that  his  proposal  was  made  in  good  faith. 

During  these  sittings  the  interference  was  constant, 
and  so  great  that,  although  each  sitting  lasted  for  about 


44  MODEEN   DIABOLISM. 

two  hours,  the  amount  of  writing  executed  by  the  Count 
was  small.  Now,  as  it  was  stated  that  this  female  was 
to  be  removed,  I  could  not  understand  why  they  did 
not  remove  her,  at  least  for  the  time,  when  one  of  them 
wished  to  write  ;  and  on  this  point  I  could  get  no  satis- 
factory explanation.  Miss  Allen,  in  reply  to  my  ques- 
tion as  to  why  they  did  not  keep  the  woman  away  from 
me  when  they  wished  to  write,  said,  "  We  don't  pull  and 
haul  as  you  do,"  but  would  not  attempt  to  explain  what 
the  nature  of  the  operation,  in  effecting  her  removal, 
would  be. 

The  second  sitting  with  the  Count  was  on  the  Sun 
day  preceding  the  second  Monday  in  December ;  and 
the  expiration  of  the  last-named  period  within  which  I 
was  to  be  relieved  would  occur  on  the  latter  day.  I 
reminded  the  Count  and  Mr.  H.,  who  was  also  present, 
of  this,  and  was  told  that  my  friends  would  come  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  next  day,  and'  that  the  female  would 
then  be  removed.  On  Monday  afternoon,  at  the  hour, 
previously  named,  I  was  informed  that  several  of  my 
relatives  were  present ;  and  brief  communications  were 
written  purporting  to  be  by  my  father  and  mother. 
They  gave  no  tests  of  identity,  and  I  did  not  ask  for 
any ;  but  was  informed  that  the  removal  would  be  ef- 
fected during  the  night.  I  went  to  bed  at  my  usual 
hour,  and  during  most  of  the  night  was  kept  awake  by 
talking  and  magnetic  operations  causing  twitchings  of 
the  muscles  and  limbs,  stated  to  be  in  some  way  con- 
nected with  the  removal  of  the  female.  In  the  morn- 
ing, finding  she  was  not  removed,  I  pondered  long  as 
to  what  could  be  the  object  of  these  invisible  beings,  if 
they  had  any  object  in  view,  but  was  unable  to  anive 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  45 

* 

at  any  satisfactory  conclusion.  It  appeared  to  me  that 
they  must  have  some  scheme  in  view,  but  what  it  was 
I  could  not  imagine.  In  the  afternoon  the  Count  came 
again,  and  stated  that  after  I  hud  b'een  told  in  the  pre- 
ceding afternoon  the  removal  would  be  made  that  night, 
they  had  decided  to  postpone  it,  not  being  quite  pre- 
pared, but  on  leaving  had  forgotten  to  inform  me  of 
the  fact ;  and  he  confirmed  the  previous  statement  of 
Miss  Allen  that  the  female,  taking  advantage  of  my 
expectancy,  had  produced  the  disturbance.  There 
were  contradictory  statements  during  the  night,  which 
gave  an  air  of  plausibility  to  this  explanation. 

A  few  days  afterward,  being  in  a  public  library,  I 
examined  the  "  Peerage  of  Great  Britain  " — I  believe 
this  is  the  title  of  the  work — to  see  how  certain  state- 
ments made  by  the  individual  calling  himself  the  Count 
compared  with  the  facts.  He  had  perceived  about  what 
age  I  supposed  the  Count  to  have  been  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  and  said  that  I  was  mistaken  on  that  point ; 
but  instead  of  stating  in  the  usual  manner  his  age,  gave 
the  date  of  his  birth  and  of  his  death,  which  would 
make  him,  if  the  Count,  to  have  been  a  younger  man 
than  I  supposed.  I  knew  nothing  about  the  age  of  the 
Count,  but  knowing  very  nearly  that  of  the  widow, 
assumed  the  husband  to  have  been,  as  usual,  several 
years  older.  I  found  the  dates  given  of  birth  and 
death  to  be  correct,  and  that  the  Count  and  his  wife 
were  born  in  the  same  year.  But  other  statements  I 
found  to  be  incorrect  I  had  somewhere  seen  it  stated 
that  the  Count  and  his  wife  were  cousins.  This  the 
visitor  claiming  to  be  the  Count  denied  ;  affirming  that 
there  was  no  blood-relationship  whatever  between  him 


46  MODERN  DIABOLISM.  t 

and  his  wife ;  but  the  "  Peerage  "  informed  me  that  the 
Count  and  wife  were  first  cousins.  The  visitor  claim- 
ing to  be  the  Count  stated  that  his  wife  had,  in  all,  six 
children,  of  whom  one  had  died ;  but  the  "  Peerage  " 
stated  the  number  of  children  to  be  more  than  six,  none 
of  whom  had  died.  Of  course  I  concluded  the  visitor 
was  not  the  Count,  but  as  he  evidently  knew  something, 
and  more  than  I  had  previously  known,  about  him,  and 
also  about  Englishmen,  it  seemed  to  me  strange  that  he 
should  not  have  informed  himself,  before  undertaking 
the  personation,  of  facts  easily  obtained,  and  as  to  which 
I  could  readily  ascertain  whether  his  statements  were 
correct 

Soon  after  the  last  visit  of  this  individual,  Miss  Allen 
admitted  that  none  of  my  friends  had  visited  me,  and 
said  they  did  not  know  where  I  was.  She  still  asserted, 
however,  that  the  visitors  claiming  to  be  Mr.  H.  and  the 
Count  were  those  individuals ;  and  that  they  were  en- 
deavoring to  carry  out  a  plan  which  would  'be  for  my 
benefit  The  difficulty  she  now  stated  to  be  with  my 
father,  who  had  been  informed  I  was  a  medium — though 
not  where  I  was — and  who  wished  himself  to  be  man- 
ager. It  would  be  much  more  for  my  benefit,  she  said, 
to  let  the  Count  have  the  management;  and  when  I 
asked  why  my  friends  were  not  brought,  and  I  per- 
mitted to  decide  for  myself,  she  replied  that  it  was 
desired  to  spare  me  the  pain  of  deciding  against  my 
father,  and  that  an  arrangement  would  soon  be  effected. 
As  I  have  stated,  strange-  as  it  may  seem,  I  never 
could  entirely  rid  myself  of  an  impression  that  the 
visitor  claiming  to  be  the  Count  might  really  be  that 
individual ;  but  if  the  one  claiming  to  be  Mr.  EL  was 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  47 

not  a  personator  he  could  easily  satisfy  me  of  the  fact ; 
and  Miss  Allen  eventually  admitted  that  Mr.  H.  had 
never  visited  me,  but  continued  to  assert  that  the  Count 
had. 

Since  the  night  when  I  was  to  have  been  relieved, 
and  was  greatly  disturbed,  the  annoyances  at  night, 
though  not  so  great  as  during  the  one  named,  were 
much  greater  than  they  had  been  from  the  time  of  the 
operation  called  killing  Ellen  up  to  that  date ;  and  I 
soon  began  to  feel  very  much  exhausted  and  worn  out 
from  want  of  sleep.  I  received  twice,  at  night,  electric 
shocks  which,  for  a  moment,  almost  paralyzed  me.  I 
soon  began  to  suspect  that  Miss  Allen  was  engaged  in 
creating  these  disturbances,  notwithstanding  her  asser- 
tions that  they  were  caused  by  the  opposing  female,  and 
that  she  exerted  her  power  to  prevent  them. 

The  assertions  now  made  by  Miss  Allen  to  the  effect 
that  my  friends  were  unable  to  find  me,  were,  of  course, 
no  evidence  that  such  was  the  fact,  inasmuch  as  she  had 
previously  asserted  that  they  had  visited  and  communi- 
cated with  me;  and,  thinking  they  might  be  present,  I 
continued  to  sit  occasionally  for  communications ;  my 
principal  encouragement  for  doing  so  being  the  anxiety 
of  Miss  Allen  to  prevent  the  practice. 

One  Sunday  morning  in  May  (1865),  Miss  Allen  said 
the  Count  was  coming  to  see  me  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon;  that  she  would  have  Mr.  B.  brought  with 
him,  and  I  might  test  the  identity  of  the  latter  in  any 
way  I  pleased ;  her  idea  appearing  to  be  that  if  I  could 
be  fully  satisfied  Mr.  B.  was  connected  with  the  party,  I 
would  wait  for  their  scheme  to  be  perfected,  and  cease 
Bitting  for  communications  from  my  relatives.  The  test 


~  48  MODERN 

of  identity  formerly  given  by  one  claiming  to  be  Mr.  B 
was  still  a  mystery  to  me,  and  I  now  determined  to  ask 
questions,  the  correct  answers  to  which  I  had  never 
known.  As  I  wished  to  ask  only  questions  the  correct 
answers  to  which  I  could  readily  obtain,  it  was  necessary 
that  I  should  think  beforehand  what  they  should  be ; 
and  I  wrote  out  a  few,  the  correct  answers  to  which  I 
could  obtain  with  little  inconvenience. 

But  before  the  hour  named  had  arrived,  Miss  Allen 
informed  me  that  Mr.  B.  could  not  be  present ;  she  said 
he  thought  that  he  had  sufficiently  identified  himself 
already,  and  that  it  would  be  inconvenient  for  him  to 
come  that  day.  The  Count  came,  as  represented,  and 
with  him  Mr.  W.,  the  late  banker,  about  whom,  it  will 
be  recollected,  I  had  inquired  at  Trenton  of  the  visitor 
claiming  to  be  Mr.  H.  As  I  had  not  since  inquired  or 
thought  about  him,  and  he  was  never  an  intimate  ac- 
quaintance, I  could  not  understand  why  Mr.  W.  should 
be  brought ;  and  no  particular  reason  for  bringing  him 
was  given.  In  fact,  neither  Mr.  W.  or  the  Count 
appeared  to  have  any  definite  object  in  this  visit,  and 
very  little  was  written  by  either.  The  one  claiming  to 
be  the  Count  said  that,  as  I  doubted  his  identity,  he 
would,  if  I  wished  it,  give  me  the  name  of  the  father  of 
the  illegitimate  children  of  his  wife ;  but  added  that  he 
disliked  doing  so,  as  the  father  was  a  relative  of  his  wife, 
and  it  was,  therefore,  a  painful  subject.  Giving  me  the 
name,  or  title,  of  some  one  who  might  be  such  a  father, 
would  indicate  nothing  more  than  that  this  visitor  had 
lived  in  England,  or  had  some  means  of  acquiring  in- 
formation about  Englishmen,  as  to  which  I  was  satisfied 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  49 

already ;  I  therefore  replied  that  I  did  not  care  about 
the  name  being  given. 

When  the  Count  had  finished,  I  was  told  that  Mr.  B. 
had  come,  and  that  I  might  test  the  identity.  Mr.  B. 
had  retired  from  business  some  time  previous  to  his 
death,  and  the  first  two  questions  on  my  list  were,  as  to 
the  number  of  his  late  place  of  business,  and  the  name 
of  his  successor.  It  appeared  to  be  so  very  difficult  for 
him  to  write  that,  when  I  had  obtained  answers  to  these 
two  questions,  I  concluded  not  to  ask  the  others.  The 
store  was  in  Broadway,  about  one  mile  from  my  hotel ; 
and  although  I  did  not  know  the  number,  I  knew  the 
locality.  On  going  to  the  office  of  the  hotel  and  ex- 
amining the  City  Directory,  I  found  that  the  number 
given  was  in  the  square  next  south  of  that  in  which 
Mr.  B.'s  store  was  situated,  and  that  there  was  no  such 
name  as  the  one  given  at  either  locality. 

Some  time  previous  to  this  I  had  discovered  that  these 
invisible  beings  were  able  to  exert  a  powerful  influence 
upon  my  mind  ;  and  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  I 
felt  that,  although  nothing  was  spoken,  this  power  was 
being  exercised  to  make  me  believe  there  was,  after  all, 
something  in  this  pretended  scheme.  Presuming  this 
attempt  to  be  by  Miss  Allen,  I  told  her  it  was  useless, 
when  the  influence  instantly  ceased.  This  will,  doubt- 
less, appear  very  strange ;  but  such  were  my  sensations, 
namely,  that  a  foreign  influence  was  being  exerted  to 
induce  belief  in  something  which  my  judgment  decided 
must  be  false. 

Miss  Allen  then  made  a  lengthy  statement,  purport- 
ing to  be  a  confession,  the  substance  of  which  was,  that 
her  real  name  was  Annie  Morford;  that  she  had  been 


50  .       MODERN"  DIABOLISM.  . 

acquainted  •with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  at  Auburn,  N.  Y , 
and  had  visited  me  for  the  purpose  of  communicating 
with  them,  but  had  been  drawn  into  the  personations 
and  deceptions  by  Mrs.  Arnold ;  that  Mr.  W.,  the 
banker,  hearing  of  me,  had,  with  his  friend  the  other 
banker,  whose  daughter  was  to  have  accompanied  Miss 
B.  to  England,  invented  a  scheme  which  she  stated,  but 
which  is  too  lengthy,  as  well  as  silly,  to  be  here  given. 
In  attempting  to  carry  out  this  scheme,  she  said,  Mr. 
W.  and  the  other  banker  had  personated  Mr.  H.  and 
the  Count,  neither  of  the  two  latter  individuals  having 
ever  visited  me.  The  failure  of  the  scheme  was  owing  to 
their  inability  to  effect  an  arrangement  with  the  Count, 
who  had  finally  decided  not  to  enter  into  it.  Nothing 
was  said  as  to  how  she  had  rid  herself  and  me  of  Ellen, 
and  it  did  not  occur  to  me  to  inquire.  She  concluded 
by  promising  to  bring  my  father  next  morning  at  nine 
o'clock. 

In  the  morning  as  soon  as  I  awoke,  my  mind  reverted 
to  the  matter  of  the  communication  made  the  preced- 
ing evening,  and  I  was  not  fully  convinced  that  the 
Count  had  never  visited  rne ;  perhaps  it  would  be  more 
correct  to  say  that  the  impression  that  he  had  visited 
me  was  very  strong.  Miss  Allen — by  which  name  I 
will  continue  to  designate  this  female  always  with  me 
— then  said  that  her  statement  of  the  preceding  even- 
ing was  false ;  and  again  asserted  that  the  Count  was 
endeavoring  to  carry  out  a  plan  which  would  be  for  my 
benefit.  She  requested  that  I  would  allow  them  three 
days  more  in  which  to  complete  the  arrangements ;  that 
is,  that  I  would  refrain  for  three  days  from  sitting  for 
communications.  As  my  sittings  had  resulted  in  noth- 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  61 

ing,  and  were  very  tedious,  I  readily  granted  this  re- 
quest, on  the  promise  being  given  that  at  the  expiration 
of  the  time  my  friends  should  be  brought  The  mode 
of  communication  this  morning  was  by  speaking ;  but 
generally,  at  this  time,  and  always  when  the  commu- 
nications were  lengthy,  it  was  by  writing. 

When  passing  down  Broadway  the  day  on  which 
the  above  occurred,  I  looked  for  the  number  which  had 
been  given  as  that  of  Mr.  B.'s  store,  and  found  that 
there  was  no  such,  name  as  the  one  given  at  this  num- 
ber; neither  were  the  goods  here  dealt  in  the  same 
as  those  dealt  in  by  Mr.  B.  But  I  noticed  over  the 
entrance  of  an  adjoining  store  a  name  resembling, 
though  not  the  same  as  that  given  me  ;  and  the  goods 
here  dealt  in  were  also  dealt  in  by  Mr.  B.,  but  the 
latter  dealt  in  two  kinds  of  goods,  this  store  in  only 
one. 

And  being  in  the  public  library  a  day  or  two  after- 
ward, I  had  sufficient  curiosity  again  to  examine  the 
"  Peerage  "  to  ascertain  what  male  relatives  the  wife  of 
the  Count  had.  I  found  that  she  had  another  first- 
cousin,  of  about  her  own  age,  residing  in  England, 
who,  upon  the  unreasonable  assumption  that  the  story 
given  me  was  true,  must  be  the  relative  referred  to  as 
the  father  of  the  illegitimate  children. 

On  the  evening  of  the  succeeding  Sunday,  as  my 
friends  had  not  been  brought,  1  determined  to  see  if  I 
could  not  learn  something  from  the  female  opposing 
Miss  Allen.  I  had  nothing  definite  as  to  her  appear- 
ance or  idiosyncrasies  upon  which  to  fix  my  mind  so 
as  to  aid  her  in  writing  against  the  opposition  of  Miss 
Allen;  but  finally  received  the  impression  that  she 


52  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

was  a  girl  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age.  I  learned 
nothing,  however,  from  her.  Some  time  previous  to 
this,  I  had  inquired  why  this  female,  who  appeared  to 
be  opposed  to  the  party  with  which  Miss  Allen  was 
connected,  did  not  bring  my  friends,  and  thus  defeat 
their  scheme ;  and  the  reply  was  to  the  effect  that  she 
was  not  permitted  to  leave,  being  held  a  prisoner.  On 
now  asking  her  if  this  was  true,  she  replied  that  it 
was ;  and  affirmed  that  if  I  would  continue  the  writing, 
thinking  of  her,  she  would  soon  be  able  to  release  her- 
self, and  would  then  bring  my  friends.  Of  course  I 
could  see  no  sense  in  the  idea  that  writing  would  release 
her,  or  that,  if  a  prisoner,  she  would  be  kept  so  near 
me  as  to  enable  her  to  interfere  with  Miss  Allen  and 
her  friends.  I  therefore  rose  from  the  table  as  much  in 
the  dark  as  to  what  the  plot  could  be,  if  there  was  any, 
as  before.  "When  I  sat  down  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
information  from  this  female,  I  began  to  feel  an  undetin- 
able  dread,  or  horror.  It  was  not  precisely  fear,  for  I 
would  have  continued  to  sit  if  there  had  been  any 
prospect  of  learning  anything ;  but  appeared  to  be  an 
impression  which  my  will  was  unable  to  overcome.  I 
supposed  this  feeling  was  produced  by  Miss  Allen,  and 
she  admitted  such  was  the  fact  I  did  not  get  entirely 
over  it  until  I  had  gone  to  bed  and  fallen  asleep. 

As  sitting  for  communications  from  my  friends  had 
produced  no  result,  I  did  not  feel  sure  that  the  state- 
ments that  they  were  unable  to  find  me  might  not  be 
correct.  Whether  there  was  so  wide  a  difference  be- 
tween myself  and  other  mediums  as  Miss  Allen  and  her 
associates  asserted,  or  not,  I  did  not  know ;  but  I  did 
know  that  ,on,e  portion  of  their,  statements  on  this  point 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  63 

must  be  true,  namely,  that  only  the  lowest  and  most 
stupid  class  of  their  world  could,  communicate  through 
other  mediums.  I  presumed  that  I  must  have  been 
seen  by  many  of  this  class,  as  was  stated,  but  had  no 
reason  for  supposing  that  any  of  these  would  bring  my 
friends.  It  occurred  to  me  that  some  of  the  better  class, 
although  unable  to  communicate,  might  occasionally 
visit  the  most  celebrated  public  mediums,  owing  to  the 
interest  they  would  naturally  feel,  knowing  that  their 
friends  of  this  world  visited  them.  I  thought,  there- 
fore, that  I  might,  by  visiting  these  mediums  myself, 
through  these  casual  visitors  of  the  other  world,  make 
my  situation  known  to  my  friends  there,  in  case  they  had 
not  found  me.  Whether,  if  they  came,  they  would  be 
able  to  remove  the  individuals  with  me,  or  to  commu- 
nicate at  all,  I,  of  course,  had  no  means  of  determining  ; 
but  I  decided  to  make  the  experiment.  About  the  first 
of  June,  however,  I  left  for  Trenton  without  having  put 
this  plan  in  execution. 

At  Trenton  I  wrote  a  condensed  narrative  of  the 
communications  received  from  these  invisible  visitors 
from  the  time  I  commenced  sitting  for  the  purpose  in 
the  autumn  of  1863.  This  narrative  has  been  contin- 
ued up  to  the  present  time,  and  from  it  the  one  here 
given  to  the  public  is  prepared.  My  purpose  in  writ- 
ing it  up  to  the  date  above  given  (the  summer  of  1865) 
was,  to  compare  the  communications,  and  endeavor  to 
satisfy  myself  whether  the  strange  visitors  had  any 
scheme  in  view,  and  if  so.  what  it  was.  But  on  review- 
ing the  narrative,  I  was  unable  to  arrive  at  any  satis- 
factory conclusion.  I  could  not  feel  at  all  certain  as  to 
how  many  persons  had  communicated  with  me.  That 


54  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

Ellen  and  Miss  Allen  were  distinct  females  I  had  no 
doubt ;  but  as  to  whether  Miss  Allen  and  Mrs.  Arnold 
were  not  aliases  for  the  same  individual,  I  was  not  satis- 
fied. That  at  least  two  male  persons  had  communi- 
cated with  me  I  was  also  certain,  but  not  as  to  whether 
more  than  two  had-  Then  the  next  question  was, 
Were  any  of  these  parties  acquaintances  of  mine  ?  I 
saw  no  reason  for  supposing  that  any  female  of  my  ac- 
quaintance had  communicated  with  me  ;  but  from  the 
way  in  which  Mr.  W.'s  name  had  recently  been  used, 
in  connection  with  what  I  recollected  of  past  conversa- 
tions, I  now  strongly  suspected  that  he  was  one  of  my 
visitors.  At  the  sitting  in  Trenton  when  the  visitor 
pretending  to  be  Mr.  H.  called  Mr.  K,  the  late  stock- 
broker, a  "rascal"  and  "poor  miserable  creature," 
something  was  said  about  an  Ohio  railroad  with  which 
I  had  been  connected,  and  in  the  stock  of  which  Mr. 
K.'s  firm  had  dealt  more  largely  than  other  brokers. 
Mr.  H.,  or  the  one  personating  him,  evinced  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  affairs  of  this  railroad  which  I  could  not 
understand  ;  and  I  asked  him  how  h«  happened  to  know 
so  much  about  that  railroad.  The  only  reply  he  made 
was,  "  Oh,  I  knew  a  good  deal  about  it"  If  Mr.  W. 
was  the  personator,  the  matter  was  clear,  for  his  house 
was  the  financial  agent  of  the  company.  A  short  time 
either  before  or  after — I  do  not  recollect  which — the 
visit  of  Mr.  W.,  as  represented,  with  the  Count,  I  was 
asked  if  I  would  assist  in  making  a  medium  of  Miss 
B.  ;  she  to  be  under  the  charge  of  her  father,  another 
and  more  intimate  acquaintance  of  mine,  and  Mr.  W. 
I  could  understand  why  the  first  two  names  should  be 
given,  but  not  why  Mr.  W.'s  was ;  and  this  incident 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  65 

now  confirmed  my  suspiciona  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  was  difficult  for  me  to  believe  that  Mr.  W.  had  fallen 
so  low  as  to  be  a  lying  persouator  of  other  individuals, 
attempting  to  deceive  a  person  in  my  situation. 

Then  as  to  the  visitor  calling  himself  the  Count: 
The  reader  will  not  understand,  from  what  I  have  writ- 
ten, why  I  should  have,  hesitated  in  deciding  that  this 
visitor  could  not  be  the  Count.  But  there  were  several 
reasons  for  hesitation  in  coming  to  such  a  conclusion. 
I  knew  from  the  language  that  this  visitor  had  never  be- 
fore communicated  with  me  ;  and,  in  short,  the  language, 
or  style,  as  well  as  the  substance  of  a  portion  of  what 
was  written,  indicated  that  the  visitor  might  be  the 
Count  I  thought,  also,  that  he  manifested  a  little 
shame  in  telling  his  story.  Of  course  I  have  given  but 
a  small  portion  of  what  was  written  during  nearly,  or 
quite,  four  hours.  In  these  remarks  I  refer  only  to  the 
first  two  visits  ;  nothing  was  subsequently  said,  or  writ- 
ten, tending  to  produce  conviction  that  it  was  by  the 
Count  But  at  these  two  sittings  I  had  an  impression, 
such  as  I  never  had  before,  that  the  writer  was  the  in- 
dividual he  claimed  to  be,  and  not  a  personator.  On 
the  other  hand  again,  if  any  reliance  whatever  is  to  be 
placed  in  obituary  notices,  and  newspaper  articles  rela- 
tive to  a  deceased  person,  the  Count  is,  in  England, 
thought  to  have  been  a  man  of  prudence,  honesty,  and 
sense ;  this  visitor  is  a  lying  fool,  one  who  does  not  even 
know  how  to  lie  to  advantage. 

It  appeared  to  me,  on  reviewing  the  narrative,  that 
there  must  have  been  some  scheme  in  view  from  the 
time  Mr.  H.  was  personated ;  and  I  also  concluded  that 
this  attempt  at  personation  was  the  first  communication 


56  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

I  had  received  from  any  male  visitor.  Up  to  that  time, 
the  females  wished  to  be  writing  or  talking  almost  con- 
stantly ;  after  that  'date",  or  at  least  after  my  return  to 
New  York,  neither  Miss  Allen  or  her  associates  wished 
often  to  say  anything,  and  all  they  did  say  had  refer- 
ence to  some  scheme.  I  concluded,  however,  that  the 
scheme,  whatever  it  might  be,  must  be  an  impracticable 
one :  and  the  important  question  with  me  was  as  to  how 
much  more  time  must  elapse  before  it  would  be  aban- 
doned. Of  late,  the  only  suggestions  made  were  that  I 
should  aid  in  developing  another  medium  ;  and  it  did 
not  appear  to  be  expected  that  I  would  do  this  until 
"  relieved  "  and  visited  by  my  friends.  The  persecu- 
tions  at  night  had  nearly  ceased  prior  to  this  time ;  but 
the  constant  presence  of  these  two  females  was,  in  itself, 
an  annoyance ;  and,  besides,  I  wished  to  ]earn  some- 
thing about  the  other  world,  which  I  had  not  as  yet' suc- 
ceeded in  doing. 

I  returned  to  New  York  in  October,  determined  to 
carry  out  the  plan,  formed  before  leaving,  of  visiting 
other  mediums.  Not  knowing  who  were  at  this  time 
the  most  noted  ones,  I  had  an  interview  with  one  of  the 
most  prominent  Spiritualists  in  New  York,  a  lawyer,  to 
ascertain,  and  told  him  something  of  my  experience. 
On  mentioning  the  personation  of  Mr.  A.,  the  lawyer 
admitted  that  the  "  spirits  "  did  sometimes  lie ;  but  said 
the  fact  that  Mr.  A.  was  still  living  in  our  world  did 
not  prove  that  he  was  personated  at  Trenton  by  some 
other  spirit,  for  it  might  have  been  his  own  spirit  that 
visited  me  there.  This  gentleman  held  the  theory, 
common,  I  believe,  with  Spiritualists,  that  the  "  spirit- 
ual body  "  of  a  man  may  leave  the  "  physical  body," 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  57 

go  to  any  distance,  and  return  at  will  As  this  gentle- 
man was,  at  the  time,  residing  out  of  the  city,  and  ap- 
parently not  very  well  informed  about  the  public  me- 
diums, I  called  on  another  prominent  Spiritualist,  a  phy- 
sician. The  physician  agreed  with  the  lawyer  that  the 
spiritual  body  of  Mr.  A.  might  have  visited  me  at  Tren- 
ton ;  but  he  did  not  agree  with  him  that  the  spirits  some- 
times lie.  "  In  an  experience  of  thirteen  years,"  he  said, 
"  I  have  never  known  an  instance  of  the  kind ; "  and  he 
requested  that  I  would  not  accuse  them  of  lying.  This 
nonsense,  coming  from  Spiritualists,  did  not  at  all  sur- 
prise me,  and  I  visited  the  gentlemen  only  for  the  pur- 
pose of  inquiring  about  mediums,  not  with  the  expecta- 
tion of  learning  anything  in  explanation  of  my  own 
experience. 

I  visited  several  mediums,  but  learning  nothing 
through  them — as,  in  fact,  I  expected  would  be  the 
case — and  nothing  new  occurring  from  the  visits,  I  con- 
cluded the  only  judicious  course  for  me  to  take  would' 
be  to  endeavor  to  divert  my  mind  as  much  as  possible 
from  the  subject  I  had  relinquished  all  hope  of  learn- 
ing anything  from  Miss  Allen  or  her  associates,  and  had 
ceased  making  inquiry  of  them.  At  this  time  I  seldom 
experienced  any  annoyance,  either  in  the  daytime  or  at 
night,  and  in  a  short  time  was  able  to  forget,  except  at 
brief  intervals,  that  invisible  beings  were  with  me. 

But  on  the  night  of  November  23d,  as  soon  as  I 
went  to  bed,  I  experienced  a  new  and  violent  attack, 
differing  from  anything  before  felt  The  sensation  was 
as  though  a  powerful  electric  current  was  passing  through 
my  head,  producing  twitchings  of  the  muscles  of  the 
face,  and  even  the  brain  seemed  to  be  actually  in  motion. 


58  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

This  continued  during  the  whole  night,  in  consequence 
of  which  I  did  not  sleep  for  a  moment. 

The  operation  thus  affecting  my  brain  was  continued 
every  night  for  a  long  time ;  gradually,  however,  becom- 
ing less  violent.  For  more  than  a  week,  I  was  able  to 
sleep  only  about  every  alternate  night,  and  even  then 
far  from  soundly.  I  inquired  of  Miss  Allen  the  cause 
of  this,  though  without  much  expectation  of  learning 
the  truth.  She  said  that  she  had  left  me  for  a  short 
time,  and  thus  the  opposing  female  had  obtained  power 
to  produce  the  strange  effect  This  reply,  I  felt,  threw 
no  light  upon  the  subject ;  but  a  remark  which  she 
made  some  time  afterward  did,  as  I  thought  One  night, 
when  I  was  feeling  very  much  exhausted  and  mani- 
fested the  same,  she  said,  "  Then  tell  your  friends  to  let 
you  alone  ; "  from  which  I  inferred  that  my  friends  were 
present,  and  that  some  kind  of  a  contest  was  going  on 
between  them  and  Miss  Allen. 

About  the  middle  of  January  (1866),  as  the  contest 
appeared  to  be  still  going  on — though  I  was  much  less 
disturbed — I  prepared  a  series  of  questions  which  I 
thought  it  would  be  impossible  to  answer  without  giving 
me  some  information,  or  some  clue  by  means  of  which 
I  might  arrive  at  a  definite  conclusion  upon  this  sub- 
ject, and  visited  a  noted  medium  named  Mansfield.  But 
stupidity  beat  me ;  the  questions,  without  having  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  medium,  were  all  replied  to 
without  giving  any  information  whatever.  The  follow- 
ing, given  in  reply  to  the  question  as  to  why  Miss  Allen 
and  the  other  female  remained  with  me  contrary  to  my 
wishes,  is  a  sample  of  the  answers : 

"Because  they  find  in  your  magnetism  something 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  69 

that  attracts  them ;  you  do  not  desire  them  to  come  to 
you,  and  yet  they  do ;  alike  attracts  alike,  be  it  in  that 
or  in  this  world  You  desire  not  their  counsels,  and 
consider  them  fantastic  spirits ;  they  feel  indignant" 

This  is  also  a  fair  sample  of  the  communications 
received  by  myself  and  others  during  my  first  investiga- 
tions. And  it  was  partly  owing  to  the  fact  that  all  who 
had  communicated  directly  with  me,  excepting  Ellen, 
had  conversed  more  rationally,  or,  at  least,  more  like 
the  men  and  women  of  our  world,  that  I  was  inclined  to 
believe  the  assertion  that  my  condition  differed  from 
that  of  other  mediums,  and  that,  in  consequence,  Miss 
Allen  and  her  associates  might  have  some  scheme  in 
view. 

About  two  weeks  later,  I  again  attempted  to  learn 
something  from  the  female  opposing  Miss  Allen.  Be- 
lieving one  or  more  of  my  relatives  to  be  present,  I  asked 
the  girl  why  they  could  not  communicate  with  me. 
Her  reply,  written  with  much  difficulty,  was,  "  Because 
they  are  so  much  better  than  you."  This  was,  to  a  cer- 
tain extent,  in  accordance  with  the  repeated  assertions 
of  Miss  Allen  and  her  associates,  namely,  that  only 
a  certain  class  of  their  world  could  communicate 
through  other  mediums;  but  if  my  friends  could  not 
communicate  with  me,  it  was  impossible  to  imagine 
what  the  plot  could  ba  I  afterward  endeavored  to  learn 
something  more  definite  from  this  girl,  but  became  con- 
vinced that  if  the  writing  was  executed  by  her  she  was 
as  great  a  liar  as  Miss  Allen.  I  also,  at  various  times, 
attempted  to  get  communications  from  my  friends,  fix- 
ing my  mind  sometimes  on  one,  sometimes  on  another. 
Communications  were  written  purporting  to  be  by  my 


60  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

friends,  generally  by  my  father,  advising  me,  as  for- 
merly, to  wait  patiently;  but  I  concluded  they  were 
written  by  Miss  Allen. 

On  Sunday,  May  6,  (1866),  I  again  made  the  attempt 
to  get  a  communication  from  a  relativa  As  I  had  tried 
only  once  or  twice  thinking  of  my  mother,  I  decided 
this  time  to  fix  my  mind  on  her.  It  was  with  the  ut- 
most difficulty  that  anything  was  written ;  but  I  finally 
became  fully  satisfied  that  my  mother  was  present,  and 
that  the  incidents  given  to  satisfy  me  on  this  point  came 
from  her ;  for  I  had.  by  this  time,  so  much  experience 
with  these  invisible  persons  that  I  knew  what  could  be 
obtained  by  them  from  my  mind  and  other  sources, 
and  what  could  not 

I  now  devoted  a  portion  of  nearly  every  day  to  sitting 
for  writing  by  my  mother — fixing  my  mind  on  her — 
presuming  from  my  past  experience,  and  being  also  in- 
formed, that  this  would  increase  her  power.  After 
sitting  a  few  times,  I  determined  to  endeavor  to  get  from 
her  an  explanation  of  my  extraordinary  experience ;  as 
she  might  as  well,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  her 
power,  write  about  this  as  anything  else.  I  was  told 
that  Mary  M.,  whose  name  was  once  given  me  at  Long 
Branch,  was  one  of  the  females  with  me,  and  would 
assist  my  mother  in  writing,  but  that  I  must  fix  my 
mind  on  the  latter.  This  Miss  M.  died  at  Cleveland, 
aged  about  seventeen  years,  and  when  I  was  about  ten 
years  of  age.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
in  the  place,  and  Cleveland  was  then  so  small  a  village 
that,  young  as  I  was,  I  must,  probably,  have  seen  every 
resident ;  but  all  that  I  can  now  recall  to  recollection  in 
reference  to  Miss  M.  is  the  fact  of  being  one  day  told 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  61 

that  she  was  dead  "With  other  members  of  the  lamily 
I  became  well  acquainted. 

The  undertaking  proved  to  be  an  excessively  difficult 
and  tedious  one,  and  when  at  last  the  narrative  was 
completed,  I  found  it  to  be  incoherent  in  some  points, 
and  improbable  in  others.  Suspecting  that  Miss  M. 
had  been  treacherous,  I  endeavored  to  get  corrections 
of  these  points,  but  found  that  my  mother  was  unable 
to  write  them.  Then,  fixing  my  mind  intently  on  her, 
I  endeavored  to  get  an  impression  as  to  the  fact  in  each 
case,  and,  when  I  thought  I  had  received  this,  would 
get  by  a  movement  of  my  hand  a  simple  affirmative  or 
negative  as  to  whether  my  impression  was  correct  In 
this  way  I  succeeded  in  getting  an  explanation  which 
was  coherent  and  plausible,  and  which,  as  I  am  now  in- 
formed, was  substantially  correct,  though  there  were 
some  unimportant  erroiu  I  next  attempted  to  get  expla- 
nations of  the  several  phenomena,  such  as  rapping, 
table-tipping,  etc.,  and  in  this  Miss  M.  again  assisted, 

It  was  not,  at  first,  my  intention  to  publish  anything 
upon  the  subject;  but  understanding  that  my  friends 
in  the  other  world  desired  I  should  publish  the  facts  I 
had  learned,  which,  to  a  certain  extent,  showed  the 
evils  of  so-called  Spiritualism — though  not  the  full 
extent  of  these  evils — and  finding  that  the  power  of 
my  mother  to  write  did  not  increase,  I  decided  to  pre- 
pare, to  the  best  of  my  ability  under  the  circumstances, 
a  work  for  publication.  The  manuscript  was  finished 
and  delivered  to  the  publishers  in  March,  1867. 


CHAPTER  II. 

INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE  CONCLUDED. 

IN  order  that  what  follows  may  be  understood,  it  is 
necessary  here  to  state  a  portion  of  the  information 
received  when  preparing  the  former  work.  I  have 
given  in  the  preceding  narrative  only  such  names  as 
were  frequently  used,  and  but  a  small  portion  of  the 
communications  received.  I  can  now  recollect  the 
names  of  more  than  thirty  individuals  who,  as  repre- 
sented, visited  me  once  or  twice. 

In  the  explanations  received,  I  was  informed  that, 
until  my  mother  succeeded  in  writing,  only  seven  indi- 
viduals had  directly  communicated  with  me.  These 
were,  the  female  called  Ellen,  whose  surname  was  Me- 
Cauley  ;  another  female  of  whom  I  never  before  heard  ; 
Miss  Mary  M. ;  Mr.  K,  the  late  stock-broker;  Mr.  W., 
the  late  banker ;  and  the  two  individuals  designated  as 
Mr.  B.  and  the  Count  The  three  females,  as  I  was  in- 
formed, had  been  with  me  from  about  the  commence- 
ment of  my  experience  as  a  medium ;  the  power  of 
Miss  McCauley  had  been  partially  overcome  by  the 
other  two  females,  but  she  had  never  been  removed ; 
and  the  idea  I  received  was  that  those  of  the  other 
world  had  no  power  to  move  each  other  against  the 
will 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  63 

The  statement  given  me  in  reference  to  the  Count, 
and  which  I  am  now  informed  was  correct,  was  as 
follows:  Shortly  after  his  marriage,  when  riding  on 
horseback,  he  received  the  injury  alluded  to,  which  his 
surgeons  pronounced  incurable.  The  rank  of  his  wife, 
being  much  higher  than  his  own,  gave  him,  as  her  hus- 
band, a  position  which  he  would  not  otherwise  have 
had.  I  state  this  simply  as  a  fact,  without  asserting 
that  the  Count  was  influenced  by  it,  which  he  denies ; 
the  reader  can  draw  his  own  conclusion.  At  any  rate, 
it  was  his  suggestion  that  the  wife  should  select  some 
one  for,  what  I  will  call,  her  husband ;  the  legal  con- 
nection between  her  and  the  Count  to  continue,  and  the 
matter  to  be  kept  a  secret  if  possible.  The  surgeons, 
on  being  spoken  to,  said  that  professional  etiquette 
required  them  to  keep  such  things  secret  if  the  patient 
so  desired ;  but  the  English  cousin  of  the  wife — the 
one  who  I  ascertained  on  examining  the  "  Peerage " 
must  be  the  father  of  the  illegitimate  children,  if  the 
story  was  true — would  be  the  heir  in  case  she  died 
without  leaving  issue ;  and  the  surgeons  demurred  at 
conniving  at  what  might  be  a  fraud  upon  him.  It  was 
finally  agreed,  and  arranged,  that  this  cousin  should  be 
the  husband ;  and  he  was  to  remain  (legally)  unmarried. 
The  result  of  this  arrangement  is,  that  the  first  child,  a 
daughter,  is  legitimate,  and  all  the  other  children  are 
illegitimate.  The  second  child  is  a  son,  and  is,  of 
course,  acknowledged  the  heir. 

The  story  as  now  given,  although  rather  "  tough," 
seems  more  probable  than  the  version  given  me  by  the 
Count ;  and  reflects  less  dishonor  both  on  himself  and 
wife.  I  will  state  the  few  facts  I  have  learned  tending 


64  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

to  corroborate  the  story.  From  a  book  published  in 
London,  according  to  my  recollection  in  the  year  1867, 
I  learned  that  the  Count  met  with  an  accident  when 
riding  on  horseback  about  two  months  after  his  mar- 
riage. From  the  "  Peerage  rt  I  learned  that  the  English 
cousin  would  be  the  heir  under  the  circumstances 
stated ;  and  this  work  gave  no  account  of  the  marriage 
of  the  cousin.  From  other  sources,  however,  I  have 
learned  that  he  is  married,  but  there  is  something 
unusual  about  the  marriage.  In  one  work  I  have  seen 
it  stated  that  the  marriage  is  a  morganatic  one ;  in 
another,  that  there  is  a  difficulty  in  the  matter  owing 
to  the  opposition  to  it  of  the  Count's  wife. 

On  the  completion  of  the  former  work,  I  was  directed 
to  cease  sitting  for  writing,  but  to  think,  as  constantly 
as  convenient,  of  my  sister  as  present  with  me.  In 
about  two  weeks  from  the  time  I  commenced  doing  so, 
this  sister  became  able  to  talk  with  me  ;  but  it  appeared 
to  be  a  matter  of  great  difficulty  ;  she  pronounced  each 
word,  apparently,  with  as  much  force  as  possible,  paus- 
ing between  each,  as  one  does  when  speaking  to  a  person 
partially  deaf,  or  at  a  distance.  I  supposed,  and  she 
appeared  to  think,  that  her  power  to  converse  orally 
with  me  would  rapidly  increase,  as  had  that  of  the 
other  females ;  but  in  this  I  was  destined  to  be  dis- 
appointed. 

When  I  commenced  the  former  manuscript  the 
annoyances  at  night  again  commenced ;  and  when  my 
sister  attempted  to  acquire  and  increase  the  power  of 
oral  conversation,  the  annoyances  greatly  increased.  It 
was,  however,  represented  to  me  that  my  sister,  with 
the  aid  of  my  mother  and  Miss  M.,  hoDed  soon  to  over- 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  65 

come  the  power  of  the  other  two  females,  so  that  they 
would  be  unable  to  annoy  me ;  though  I  am  not  cer- 
tain that  I  inquired,  or  was  told,  whether  both  of  the 
other  females,  or  only  one,  was  engaged  in  causing  these 
annoyances.  At  this  time,  these  females  appeared  to 
be  unable  to  talk  much  ;  but  they,  or  one  of  them,  had 
the  power  of  operating  on  my  muscles  so  as  to  cause 
involuntary  movements,  or  twitchings — not  of  the 
whole  limb,  but  solely  of  the  muscles — which  prevented 
me  from  sleeping  soundly.  One  great  annoyance  at 
night  was  this  operation  upon  my  eyelids ;  and  I  was 
for  a  long  time,  on  going  to  bed,  obliged  to  place  my 
hand  over  my  eyes  and  hold  it  there  until  I  fell  asleep. 
My  hope  of  being  soon  relieved  from  these  persecutions 
was  also  destined  to  terrible  disappointment 

After  thinking  a  long  time  of  this  sister,  I  was  directed 
to  think  of  another  sister,  then  of  my  mother,  and  again 
of  the  first  sister.  All  seemed  to  be  of  no  avail ;  after 
the  first  few  months  the  power  of  my  relatives  did  not 
appear  to  increase.  One  great  difficulty  was  that,  from 
some  cause  which  I  could  not  understand,  when  they 
attempted  to  increase  their  power  the  annoyances  in- 
creased ;  while  when  they  made  no  efforts  of  the  kind, 
I  was  not  disturbed  at  night 

Without  detaining  the  reader  with  repetitions  of  the 
same  occurences  and  disappointments,  I  will  pass  on  to 
the  spring  of  1869.  Then  I  was  informed  that,  although 
one  of  the  three  females  with  me  was  Miss  M.,  as  had 
been  stated,  one  of  them,  and  the  one  who  had  at  times 
assisted  my  mother  and  sisters,  was  Mrs.  S.,  a  cousin 
of  mine.  This  cousin,  a  daughter  of  my  father's  sister, 
visited  Cleveland  once  when  I  was  seven  or  eight  years 


66  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

of  age,  and  again  ten  or  eleven  years  later ;  except  at 
these  two  visits,  I  never  saw  her.  I  had  not  heard  of 
her  death,  or,  in  fact,  heard  anything  about  her  for 
many  years ;  but  she  states  that  her  death  occurred  in 
the  year  1843. 

As  I  now  understood  the  matter,  the  three  females 
were,  Miss  McCauley,  Miss  M.,  and  Mrs.  S. ;  and  the 
first  was  the  principal,  if  not  the  sole  persecutor.  And  I 
inferred  from  what  was  said,  though  it  was  not  distinctly 
stated,  that  the  difficulty  and  disappointment  my  mother 
and.  sisters  had  experienced  were  owing  to  the  course 
taken  by  Mrs.  S.,  who  would  sometimes  aid  them,  and 
at  other  times  refuse  to  do  so-;  and  I  also  understood 
that  it  would  be  very  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  them 
to  succeed  without  her  assistance.  A  proposition  was 
now  made  by  Mrs.  S.  that  I  should  agree  to  aid  in  de- 
veloping another  mediuril  with  whom  she  could  com- 
municate and  be  connected,  as  soon  as  I  was  relieved 
from  the  power  of  the  other  two  females.  On  my 
agreeing  to  this,  she  would,  as  she  stated,  give  her 
assistance  to  my  mother  and  sisters.  Of  course  I  now 
knew,  not  only  from  this  proposition,  but  also  from  the 
fact  that  she  was  one  of  the  three  females  with  me  from 
the  commencement,  that  Mrs.  S.  was  literally  a  devil ;  • 
and  I  could  not  conscientiously  enter  into  an  agree- 
ment to  aid  in  placing  another  individual  in  her  power. 
This  proposition  was  made  by  writing,  for  it  seemed  at 
this  time  difficult  for  either  of  them  to  talk. 

About  the  first  of  May  I  was  again  requested  to  sit 
for  writing.  The  Count,  from  whom  I  had  not  heard 
for  a  long  time,  now  came  again — at  least  he  said  he 
had  been  absent — and  I  was  told  that  he  would  write, 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  67 

but  that  I  must  fix  my  mind  on  my  mother,  as  hereto- 
fore. The  Count  now  renewed  the  proposal  that  I 
should  go  to  England ;  but  he  soon  commenced  telling 
such  absurd  and  egregious  lies  as  to  what  great  things 
he  would  do  for  me  there,  that  I  refused  to  let  him 
write  longer,  insisting  that  my  mother  should  write. 
He  stated  that  if  I  would  go  to  England,  arid  agree  to 
the  plan  he  proposed,  Mrs.  S.  would  assist  my  friends, 
and  I  would  be  "  relieved  "  of  the  three  females.  Mrs. 
S.  had  previously  made  a  similar  statement,  but  she  in- 
sisted that  I  should  enter  into  a  positive  agreement  to 
aid  in  developing  another  medium  when  "  relieved." 
If  there  was  any  practicable  plan  by  which  I  could  be 
"  relieved,"  I  wished  to  be  informed  of  it ;  but  was  un- 
willing to  hold  my  hand  for  the  Count  to  write  non- 
sense. My  mother  then  attempted  to  write,  but  found 
it  so  difficult  that  I  again  permitted  the  Count,  on  con- 
dition that  he  would  confine  himself  to  the  subject  of 
relieving  me. 

The  sittings  upon  this  subject  continued  for  nearly 
two  weeks  ;  finally  the  following  agreement  was  entered 
into :  I  was  to  go  to  England,  place  the  Count  and 
others  in  communication  with  certain  individuals  there, 
and  thus  aid  in  rectifying  as  far  as  possible,  and  as 
peaceably  as  possible,  the  wrong  which  had  been  com- 
mitted. I  use  the  phrase  "  as  far  as  possible,"  because 
it  is  one  of  those  frauds  which  cannot  be  entirely  rec- 
tified. The  eldest  son  is  married,  himself  and  wife  be- 
lieving he  is  the  legal  heir.  Several  of  the  illegitimate 
daughters  are  also  married ;  but  so  far  as  they  are  con- 
cerned the  parentage  is  of  less  importance. 

While  performing  thj.  above,  Mrs.  S.  was  to  aid  ui 


68  MODERN    DIABOLISM. 

"  relieving "  me ;  and  when  this  was  accomplished,  so 
that  my  friends  and  acquaintances  in  the  other  world, 
upon  whose  advice  I  could  place  reliance,  would  be 
able  to  converse  freely  with  me,  it  was  to  be  left  to  my 
own  decision  whether  I  would  aid  in  developing  an- 
other medium.  It  was  represented  that  the  medium 
would  be  a  female,  and  that  although  Mrs.  S.  was  to 
be  in  some  way  connected,  she  would  not  have  the 
same  power  as  with  me ;  a  male  relative  of  the  medium 
being  the  one  to  be  placed  intimately  en  rapport.  About 
all  these  matters,  however,  I  was  to  be  definitely  informed 
when  "  relieved." 

Inasmuch  as  the  medium  was  not  to  be  developed 
until  after  I  had  been  relieved,  the  reader  will  not  un- 
derstand why  the  latter  might  not  as  well  have  been  per- 
formed in  New  York  as  in  England.  I  cannot  state  the 
reasons  advanced  why  I  should  at  once  go  to  England ; 
some  of  which  I  still  consider  valid,  others  I  do  not. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  I  am  now  informed  if  the 
plan  had  been  carried  out  Mrs.  S.  would  have  lent 
her  assistance,  and  I  should  in  a  short  time  have  been 
"relieved."  I  was  under  great  depression  in  conse- 
quence of  my  situation,  and  would  have  been  willing 
to  go  round  the  world  if  there  had  been  a  reasonable 
probability  of  being  "  relieved"  by  so  doing.  As  to 
whether  I  would  be  relieved  by  going  to  England,  I 
was,  in  a  great  measure,  obliged  to  rely  upon  the  judg- 
ment of  my  friends  in  the  other  world.  I  should  not 
have  placed  much  reliance  upon  the  judgment  of  my 
mother  or  sister  (the  only  friends  who  could  communi- 
cate directly  with  me)  in  such  a  matter,  any  more  than 
if  they  had  been  in  our  world ;  but  I  understood  they 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  69 

nad  male  advisers,  who  coincided  with  them  in  the 
opinion  that  I  had  better  go.  Moreover,  I  wished  to 
visit  Europe,  which  I  had  never  seen,  and  thought  it 
would"  be  less  convenient  to  go  for  several  years  to 
come  than  it  then  was ;  still  my  depression  was  so  great 
that  I  should  not  have  thought  of  taking  a  pleasure 
trip  if  I  had  not  hoped  to  be  "  relieved  "  in  England. 

I  sailed  for  England  on  the  26th  of  May,  and  two  or 
three  days  after  my  arrival  in  London  went  to  my  room 
for  the  purpose  of  having  a  letter  written  ;  the  under- 
standing having  been  that  on  my  arrival  the  Count  was 
to  write  a  letter  to  the  widow,  identifying  himself  and 
requesting  for  me  an  interview.  When  I  sat  down  at 
the  table  I  experienced,  though  in  a  less  degree,  the 
dread,  or  horror,  once  before  felt  and  described  ;  and  it 
appeared  to  be  unusually  difficult  for  any  one  to  write. 
I  persevered,  however,  until  a  few  lines  were  written, 
when  I  perceived  the  writing  was  not  by  the  Count, 
but  by  Mrs.  S.  Then  I  at  once  suspected  that  so  far  as 
being  "  relieved  "  was  concerned,  I  had  made  the  trip 
in  vain.  However,  as  it  was  stated  that  in  a  day  or  two 
the  letter  would  be  written,  at  the  expiration  of  the  lat- 
ter period  I  again  went  to  my  room  for  the  purpose. 
This  time  I  was  informed  that  the  mother-in-law  of  the 
Count  would  first  write  a  letter.  Writing  was  again 
difficult,  and  I  again  soon  perceived  from  the  style  that 
the  writer  was  Mrs.  S.,  when  I  stopped.  The  Count 
then  spoke  nearly  as  follows :  "  So  long  as  this  oppo- 
sition continues  the  letter  will  not  be  written  ;  when  it 
is  written  it  will  be  dictated  orally ;  for  the  present  you 
may  consider  the  expedition  a  failure."  I  inquired  the 
cauae-of  the  opposition^  and  why  the  expedition  was  a 


70  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

failure,  but  he  would  give  no  explanation,  merely  re- 
peating, "  For  the  present  you  may  consider  the  expe- 
dition a  failure."  My  own  conclusion  was  that»Mrs.  S. 
was  the  cause  of  the  difficulty,  and  that  the  others  did 
not  like  to  acknowledge  they  had  been  deceived  by 
her ;  and  yet,  as  she  appeared  desirous  of  having  the 
letter  written,  I  could  not  understand  what  the  nature 
of  her  deception  was.  I  left  for  Paris  without  again 
sitting  for  a  letter  to  be  written. 

A  day  or  two  before  leaving  Paris,  I  was  sitting  in 
my  room,  thinking  whether  I  should  return  home  by 
way  of  England,  or  not — a  point  I  wished  then,  for  a 
certain  reason,  to  decide — when  Mrs.  S.  commenced 
talking.  t  She  said  that  the  letter  would  be  written  dur- 
ing my  journey  at  some  point  where  it  would  be  con- 
venient for  me  to  sit  for  the  purpose.  It  was  as  con- 
venient for  me  to  sit  then  as  it  would  be  at  any  future 
time,  but  she  said  there  was  a  dispute  between  the 
Count  and  my  friends  which  would  soon  be  settled. 
In  the  following  night,  my  mother,  after  great  efforts, 
succeeded  in  giving  me,  partly  by  words  and  partly  by 
impression,  a  brief  communication,  the  purport  of 
which  was,  that  I  must  constantly  bear  in  mind  how 
very  difficult  it  was  for  her  to  communicate  ;  that  I 
must  not  send  the  letter  even  if  the  Count  was  willing 
to  dictate  one,  or,  in  short,  take  any  important  step  in 
the  matter  without  first  ascertaining  that  my  friends  ap- 
proved of  it,  and  the  manner  of  ascertaining  this  would 
be  by  having  her  identify  herself.  This  brief  commu- 
nication, much  briefer  than  what  I  have  written,  cost 
me  nearly  half  the  night's  sleep ;  it  was  some  time  after 
she  commenced  the  effort  before  she  could  speak  dia* 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  71 

tinctlj,  and  the  effort  so  affected  my  nervous  system 
that  I  did  not  fall  asleep  until  long  after  the  communi- 
cation was  ended.  I  inferred  from  this  that  the  difficulty 
in  London  had  not  been  entirely,  if  at  all,  with  Mrs. 
S. ;  but  .that  the  Count  had  in  some  way  been  treach- 
erous. 

In  October  of  the  same  year  I  was  again  in  London, 
and,  finding  the  letter  would  not  be  written,  at  once 
engaged  my  passage  home.  Knowing  that  it  would  be 
difficult  for  my  mother  or  sister  to  inform  me,  against 
the  will  of  Mrs.  S.,  I  had  not  attempted  to  get  an  ex- 
planation of  the  difficulty  ;  but  after  I  had  engaged  my 
passage  home  I  thought  there  could  no  longer  be  any 
motive  for  concealment,  and  therefore  made  the  inquiry. 
The  reply,  purporting  to  be  by  my  sister,  was  to  the 
effect  that  the  Count,  after  I  had  sailed  from  New  York, 
renewed  the  proposition  that  I  should  remain  perma- 
nently in  England,  and  refused  to  carry  out  his  part  of 
the  plan  unless  it  was  agreed  to.  This  did  not  make 
the  matter  very  clear,  inasmuch  as  I  was  the  party  that 
must  enter  into  such  an  agreement,  if  it  was  to  be 
binding;  and  besides,  it  did  not  explain  why  my 
mother,  at  Paris,  made  so  great  an  effort  to  caution  me 
against  sending  the  letter  in  case  the  Count  was  will- 
ing to  dictate  one.  However,  I  concluded  the  Count 
had  made  some  unreasonable  demand,  and  inquired  no 
further.  This  communication  was  oral ;  and  as  soon  as 
my  sister  ceased  speaking,  the  Count  said  that  his  story 
about  the  illegitimacy  of  the  children  of  his  wife  was 
a  fiction.  This  was  instantly  contradicted  by  my  sister, 
who  said  I  had  received  a  correct  statement  of  the 
matter;  and  the  Count  did  not  repeat  his  assertion. 


72  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

For  some  time  after  my  return  to  New  York  noth- 
ing more  was  said  about  "relieving"  me;  and  I  had 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  I  must  abandon  all  hope 
of  its  accomplishment.  During  the  journey,  and  since 
my  return,  I  had  suffered  so  little  annoyance  that,  but 
for  past  experience  and  the  fact  that  at  rare  intervals  a 
few  words  were  spoken,  I  should  not  have  been  aware 
that  invisible  beings  were  with  me.  But  I  had  never 
been  able  to  understand,  or  to  get  an  explanation  of, 
what  I  understood  to  be  the  physical  inability  of  my 
friends  to  remove  these  females.  I  had  understood  that 
all  my  friends  were  aiming  at  was  to  overcome  their 
power,  so  that  if  they  remained  they  would  be  unable 
to  annoy  me,  or  to  interfere  with  communications  from 
others ;  and  that  there  was  no  power  to  remove  them 
bodily.  I  supposed,  at  first,  that  such  must  be  the  fact ; 
but  it  was  a  fact,  if  such,  which  I  could  not  reconcile 
with  others  given  me  when  writing  the  former  work ; 
and  the  more  I  thought  upon  the  subject,  the  more 
irreconcilable  the  statements  appeared  to  be.  I  had 
repeatedly  requested  a  definite  explanation,  but  it  had 
always  been  postponed,  and  I  began  to  suspect  that 
there  was  something  connected  with  this  matter  which 
my  friends  did  not  like  to  inform  me  of. 

About  two  months  after  my  return,  as  I  was  sitting 
one  day  thinking  about  this  matter,  my  sister,  as  I  un- 
derstood it  to  be,  commenced  speaking.  She  said  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  removing  the  females  other  than 
the  effect  it  would  have  upon  me ;  and  added  that  they 
were  prevented  from  leaving,  as  the  effect  of  their  leav- 
ing voluntarily  was  feared.  Some  time  after  this  I  was 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  73 

informed  that  my  friends  were  preparing  to  effect  their 
removal. 

On  the  night  of  January  26  (1870),  when  I  went 
to  bed,  I  was  directed  to  fix  my  mind  on  my  sister,  as 
Miss  McCauley  and  Miss  M.  were  then  to  be  removed. 
Mrs.  S.,  as  I  understood,  was  expected  to  aid  my 
friends.  I  experienced  no  unusual  sensation  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes,  then  I  began  to  feel  very  faint 
This  faintness  soon  passed  away,  when  I  was  informed 
that  the  operation  had  been  postponed.  In  the  morn- 
ing I  was  told  that  it  was  thought  the  operation  might 
have  been  safely  completed,  and  that  it  would  soon  be 
performed.  On  the  second  night  following,  I  was  again 
told  to  fix  my  mind  on  my  sister,  and  the  removal 
would  then  be  made.  This  time  there  occurred  violent 
palpitation  of  the  heart,  at  least  I  know  not  what  else  to 
call  it,  but  my  whole  breast  heaved  with  terrible  violence 
and  rapidity.  Some  one  said,  "  You  are  going,  sir," 
and,  for  a  few  moments,  I  thought  I  was  dying.  When 
I  had  partially  recovered,  I  was  informed  that  the  two* 
females  had  been  removed.  But  during  the  succeeding 
day  I  perceived  that  there  was  some  one  still  with  me 
acting  in  opposition  to  my  friends.  This,  I  was  told, 
was  Mrs.  S. ;  and  it  was  stated  that  she  had  agreed  to 
leave  after  the  other  two  females  had  been  removed, 
but  now  refused  to  do  so,  and  that  her  removal  must 
be  effected  by  force,  as  had  been  that  of  the  other  two. 
On  going  to  bed  the  following  night,  I  was  directed  to 
fix  my  mind  on  my  sister  when  I  awoke  in  the  morn- 
ing, as  Mrs.  S.  was  then  to  be  removed.  Her  removal, 
I  wa;  informed,  would  affect  only  my  head,  not  the 
action  of  my  heart  as  that  of  the  two  others  had.  In 


74  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  morning  I  fixed  my  mind  on  my  sister,  as  directed, 
but  experienced  no  unusual  sensation,  either  in  my 
head  or  any  other  part  of  my  system.  In  a  short  time 
I  was  told  that  Mrs.  S.  was  removed  ;  but  while  dress- 
ing she  commenced  talking ;  at  least  the  talking  pur- 
ported to  be  by  her,  and  I  knew  that  if  not  by  her,  it 
must  be  by  one  of  the  other  two  said  to  have  been 
removed.  It  was  then  admitted  that  neither  of  the 
three  had  been  removed ;  and  from  a  remark  made  by 
the  Count  I  inferred  that  he  had  done  the  lying ;  though 
why  he  was  now  staying  with  me  I  could  not  imagine. 

No  further  attempts  to  relieve  me  being  made,  on  the 
30th  of  March  I  sat  down  to  learn,  if  possible,  the 
truth  about  my  situation.  I  told  my  friends  that  I 
wished  to  know  whether  they  did,  or  did  not,  feel  sure 
that  they  could  ever  remove  the  females;  and  if  they 
felt  certain  it  could  be  done,  then  I  wished  to  know 
within  what  time  it  could  be  accomplished.  The  reply 
was  that  they  felt  confident  it  could  be  done  within  a 
year  from  that  date.  To  make  it  certain  that  this  came 
from  my  friends,  and  not  from  Mrs.  S.,  I  requested  my 
mother  to  identify  herself  in  certification ;  this  being 
done,  I. felt  that  the  only  course  for  me  to  take  was  to 
be  patient,  and  assist  my  friends  as  much  as  possible  by 
the  exercise  of  my  thinking  faculty  as  directed. 

I  perceived  no  particular  effect  from  the  efforts  of  my 
friends  until  about  six  months  after  the  above  date ; 
then,  although  not  sick,  I  became  very  weak.  After 
this  latter  date,  I  was  repeatedly  told  that  I  would  be 
relieved  before  the  close  of  the  year  1870  ;  but  believ- 
ing these  assertions  to  be  made  by  Mrs.  S.  I  did  not 
place  much  reliance  upon  them.  The  course  now  taken 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  75 

by  Mrs.  S.  was  to  me  a  constant  mystery.  She,  as  I 
understood  my  friends,  was  to  be  removed,  as  well  as 
the  other  two ;  but  she  constantly  talked  as  though  she 
was  assisting  my  friends  against  the  others.  In  talk- 
ing, she  always  endeavored  to  give  me  the  impression 
that  my  sister  was  speaking;  but  the  mystery  was 
that  her  constant  admonitions  about  thinking  were,  so 
far  as  I  could  judge,  correct ;  and  the  impression  she 
gave  that  it  was  my  sister  who  was  speaking  increased, 
as  I  understood,  the  power  of  the  latter.  The  only 
objection  I  made  to  her  admonitions  was  that  they 
were  so  frequent  as  to  be  annoying.  She  constantly 
warned  me  not  to  think  of  past  occurrences  connected 
with  this  matter,  and,  especially,  not  to  think  of  myself, 
or  exercise  self-consciousness.  "  Don't  think  of  that," 
and,  "Don't  think  of  yourself,"  were  so  frequently  re- 
peated as  to  become  wearisoma 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  31st  of  December  (1870)  my 
sister  informed  me  that  Miss  McCauley  and  Miss  M. 
were  to  be  removed  during  the  following  night ;  and 
she  said  that  if  I  felt  very  weak  after  rising  in  the 
morning,  I  must  lie  down  again ;  the  principal  object 
of  the  communication  was,  however,  to  advise  me  that 
she  should  not  again  speak  to  me  until  some  time  after 
the  operation  had  been  performed ;  and  she  told  me  to 
recollect  if  there  should  be  any  talking  during  the  night, 
it  would  not  be  by  her. 

Nothing  unusual  occurred  during  the  night,  and  at 
the  moment  of  waking  in  the  morning  my  sister  in- 
formed me,  in  three  or  four  words,  that  the  removal 
had  not  been  made.  Later  in  the  day  Mrs.  S.,  person- 
ating my  sister,  attempted  to  make  me  believe  that  the 


76  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

removal  had  been  made,  and  that  the  one  then  acting 
in  opposition  to  my  mother  and  sister,  and  interfering 
with  their  communications,  was  herself.  This  attempt 
failing,  the  Count  said  my  friends  ought  to  inform  me 
that  the  removal  was  an  impossibility.  Afterward, 
when  I  attempted  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  non -re- 
moval, I  was  told  that  the  difficulty  was  with  the 
Count ;  that  at  the  last  moment  he  had  made  a  demand 
which  could  not  be  granted,  and  he,  therefore,  had  re- 
fused to  assist.  This  purported  to  be  spoken  by  my 
mother  ;  and  I  inquired  if,  when  told  that  I  would  be 
"  relieved  "  within  a  year,  she  had  relied  upon  the  assist- 
ance of  the  lying  Count  She  replied,  "  I  don't  wish 
to  talk  more  than  is  necessary,  but  we  did  rely  upon 
his  assistance."  As  it  appeared  to  be  difficult  for  her 
to  talk,  I  made  no  further  inquiry.  On  thinking  of 
the  matter  afterward,  however,  I  became  convinced 
that  it  made  little  difference  whether  the  Count  assisted 
or  not,  as  he  could  not  have  much  power  in  the  mat- 
ter ;  and  that  the  above  must  have  been  spoken  by 
Mrs.  S.,  who  was  the  real  cause  of  the  failure.  What 
she  was  aiming  at  I  could  not  imagine ;  but  it  was  evi- 
dent that  if  this  was  the  fact  my  friends  must  have  re- 
lied upon  her  assistance ;  and,  therefore,  after  this  date 
my  hope  of  being  "  relieved "  was  not  very  strong. 
The  reader  will  understand  that,  from  first  to  last,  I 
knew  it  was  almost  impossible  for  either  my  mother  or 
sister  to  communicate  with  me  when  Mrs.  S.  opposed. 

I  was  told  subsequently  that  my  friends  still  hoped 
to  "  relieve  "  me  within  the  period  first  named ;  but 
whether  the  statement  was  made  by  my  mother  or  sis- 
ter, or  by  Mrs.  S.,  I  made  no  attempt  to  ascertain.  It 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  77 

was  now  stated  that  there  was  only  one,  namely,  Miss 
McCauley,  the  effect  of  whose  removal  was  feared.  As 
I  had  been  informed  that  Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  M.  had  over- 
come her  power  at  Trenton,  I  could  not  understand 
this. 

The  year  within  which  I  was  to  have  been  "  relieved  " 
passed  away  without  any  renewal  of  the  attempt  After 
the  expiration  of  that  period  the  persecutions  increased 
so  much  that  one  night — about  the  middle  of  May, 
1871 — after  several  nearly  sleepless  ones,  I  felt  that  I 
could  not  stand  it  much  longer,  when  rny  mother  said, 
"  Bear  it  one  month  longer,  and  then,  if  we  are  unable 
to  relieve  you,  we  will  stop  the  persecutions."  When 
the  month  had  expired,  or  about  the  middle  of  June, 
the  persecutions  nearlf  ceased,  and  I  was  not  "  relieved" 
I  was  then  told  that  an  attempt  would  be  made  to  place 
the  mother-in-law  of  the  Count  intimately  en  rapport 
with  me.  I  understood  there  was  a  plan  connected 
with  this  movement  which  would  be  explained  when 
this  measure  had  been  accomplished.  About  the  mid- 
dle of  July  I  learned  that  this  plan  was  a  failure,  and 
that  my  friends  saw  no  other  course  than  the  one  they 
had  been  pursuing  by  which  to  "  relieve  "  me.  The 
disturbances  at  night  were  then  renewed,  though  I 
rested  a  little  better  than  formerly. 

I  was  repeatedly  told  by  Mrs.  S.  that  I  would  cer- 
tainly be  "  relieved  "  before  the  close  of  that  year  (1871) ; 
and  one  night  near  the  close  of  December,  my  mother, 
as  I  felt  confident,  it  was,  confirmed  this  statement.  I 
understood  they  had,  as  before,  decided  upon  the  last 
night  of  the  year  as  the  time  for  performing  the  opera- 
tion. I  went  to  bed  that  night  expecting,  or  at  least 


78  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

hoping,  the  removal  would  be  made  ;  but  nothing  un- 
usual occurred,  and  at  the  moment  of  awaking  in  the 
morning  my  mother  said  the  removal  could  not  be  per- 
formed. I  had  requested  that  the  removal  should  be 
made  this  night,  or  that  all  efforts  for  the  purpose  should 
then  cease ;  and  I  supposed,  when  told  the  above, 
that  the  latter  course  had  been  decided  on.  But  I 
knew,  from  past  experience,  that  if  my  mother  and 
sister  abandoned  the  idea  of  removing  the  females  the 
disturbances  at  night  would  cease.  These  did  not 
cease,  and  I  soon  learned  that  the  idea  of  removal 
had  not  been  abandoned.  I  also  learned  that  the  diffi- 
culty was,  as  I  had  suspected,  with  Mrs.  S. — though 
her  course  was  still  to  me  an  impenetrable  mystery — 
and  that  the  next  move  would  be  her  removal. 

Nothing  unusual  occurred  until  the  night  of  the  14th 
of  January  (1872),  when  I  was  awakened  by  a  peculiar, 
sharp,  and  piercing  pain  in  the  head.  The  sensation 
was  as  though  a  dagger  had  been  driven  into  my  brain. 
This  was  momentary,  but  it  was  succeeded  by  a  dull 
pain  lasting  until  the  night  of  the  18th  of  the  same 
month.  On  the  latter  night,  soon  after  going  to  bed,  I 
was  attacked  by  a  terrible,  and  almost  unendurable  pain 
in  the  head,  which  continued,  without  the  slightest 
abatement,  until  daylight;  then  there  was  a  little  miti- 
gation of  the  pain,  and  I  slept  for  about  half-an-hour. 
A  dull  pain  succeeded  this,  which  continued  until  the 
night  of  the  24th  of  the  same  month,  when  the  occur- 
rence of  the  night  of  the  18th  was  repeated,  except  that 
the  pain  this  time  was  not  quite  so  severe.  As  before, 
the  terrible  pain  came  on  soon  after  I  went  to  bed,  in 
consequence  of  which  I  slept  none  until  daylight,  when 


INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE.  79 

I  again  slept  for  about  half-an-hour.  This  attack  was 
also  succeeded  by  pain  of  less  intensity,  which,  con- 
tinued for  several  days,  gradually  passing  away.  I 
understood  that  this  pain  was  caused  by  efforts  to 
remove  Mrs.  S. ;  but,  knowing  that  at  such  times  my 
mother  and  sister  were  unable  to  converse,  I  asked  no 
questions.  When  the  pain  had  left  me,  I  learned  that 
this  attempt  was  also  a  failure. 

In  the  year  1868,  I  was  told  that  as  I  thought  of 
writing  a  new  work,  I  might  commence  it,  and  that  by 
the  time  it  was  so  far  completed  as  to  require  the  addi- 
tional matter  my  friends  in  the  other  world  were  to 
furnish,  they  would  be  able  to  give  it.  I  therefore  pre- 
pared the  manuscript  as  far  as  possible ;  but  when  I 
attempted  to  get  this  additional  matter,  I  found  that,  for 
some  reason,  it  could  not,  or  would  not,  be  given.  Then 
came  the  proposition  to  go  to  England,  and  I  took  the 
unfinished  manuscript  with  me,  expecting  to  complete 
and  publish  it  in  London. 

When  I  learned  that  Mrs.  S.  could  not  be  removed,  I 
abandoned  all  hope  of  being  "  relieved  ; "  and  then  made 
another  attempt  to  get  the  matter  required  for  complet- 
ing the  work.  I  found  that  my  sister  was  willing  to 
make  the  attempt  to  furnish  it ;  and,  although  the  under- 
taking has  been  attended  with  great  difficulty,  I  per- 
severed until  I  have,  as  I  believe,  obtained  it  so  far  as 
is  absolutely  essential. 

When,  in  1868,  I  commenced  this  work,  I  was  told 
that  new  theories  of  Light,  Sound,  etc.,  would  be"  given 
me.  I  inferred  that  these  theories  must  have  a  very 
important  bearing  upon  my  subject ;  and  therefore  wrote 
brief  criticisms  upon  the  popular  theories  of  these  phe- 


80  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

nomena.  On  receiving  the  new  theories,  they  do  not 
appear  to  me  of  quite  so  much  importance,  in  reference 
to  my  subject,  as  I  had  supposed  would  be  the  case. 
Still,  they  have  a  bearing;  and,  as  I  have  received 
them,  I  give  them  for  consideration,  with  the  criticisms 
upon  other  theories  which  I  had  previously  written. 
One  reason  for  giving  these  theories  here  is,  that  they 
are  positively  the  only  evidence  I  have  received,  or  am 
able  to  offer  the  reader,  that  there  are  in  the  other  world 
any  who  in  ours  would  be  considered  intellectual  and 
intelligent  men. 


CHAPTER    III 

EXPLANATION    OF    INTRODUCTORY    NARRATIVE. 

ONE  of  the  delusions  of  Spiritualists  is  the  belief 
that  the  "  spirits  "  have  superhuman  means  for  knowing 
the  movements  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  world.  They 
must  have  this  belief,  if  they  have  any  definite  idea 
upon  the  subject ;  for  otherwise  they  would  not  think 
it  at  all  probable  that  they  could,  at  any  time,  receive  a 
communication  from  a  friend  in  the  other  world  by 
visiting  a  medium.  The  truth  is,  however,  Spiritualists 
do  not  much  trouble  themselves  with  questions  of  this 
nature.  During  my  earlier  investigations,  I  never  knew 
an  instance  of  a  Spiritualist,  when  receiving  through  a 
medium  a  message  purporting  and  believed  to  be  from 
a  friend  in  the  other  world,  inquiring  how  that  friend 
happened  to  be  present. 

When  I  was  requested  to  act  as  a  medium,  the  idea 
advanced  was,  that  engagements  for  the  meetings  must 
be  made,  and  those  of  the  other  world  sent  for ;  pre-, 
cisely  as  if  both  parties  were  in  this  world.  It  is  true 
that  the  movements  of  those  of  the  other  world  are, 
compared  with  ours,  exceedingly  rapid  ;  and  that,  there- 
fore, they  can  more  readily  find  an  individual  of  their 
own  world.  But  when  they  undertake  to  find  one  of 
this  world  whose  location  they  do  not  know,  they,  of 


82  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

course,  lack  one  great  opportunity  which  we  possess, 
namely,  that  of  inquiring  of  others  personally,  or  by 
mail  or  telegraph. 

I  resided  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  until  the  year  1855, 
when  I  changed  my  residence  to  New  York.  All  the 
relatives  referred  to  in  the  preceding  narrative,  with  the 
exception  of  my  cousin,  Mrs.  S.,  died  at  Cleveland. 
In  New  York,  after  the  first  year,  I  boarded  at  the  same 
hotel  until  the  year  1862  ;  and  my  friends  in  the  other 
world  had  learned  where  I  was  boarding.  In  the 
spring  of  1862  I  left  New  York,  and  was  absent 
most  of  the  time  until  autumn  of  the  following  year. 
When  I  returned  in  the  autumn  of  1863,  the  hotel  at 
which  I  had  formerly  boarded  being  closed,  I  was 
obliged  to  go  to  another ;  my  friends  thus  lost  track  of 
me. 

All  public  mediums  are  surrounded  by  a  consider- 
able number  of  the  other  world,  besides  those  inti- 
mately en  rapport  with  the  mediums,  and  who  give  the 
communications.  Some  of  the  former  always  attempt 
to  become  en  rapport  with  the  visitors ;  and  in  a  large 
proportion  of  cases  the  attempt  is  more  or  less  success- 
ful. If  the  reader  has  ever  received  through  a  medium 
an  answer  to  a  mental  question,  then  in  his,  or  her 
case  the  attempt  referred  to  has  been,  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, successful ;  for  in  no  other  way  could  the  question 
have  been  learned. 

As  a  general  rule  in  such  cases,  those  intimately  en 
rapport  with  the  mediums  become,  for  the  time  being, 
en  rapport  with  the  visitors,  in  order  to  learn  the  ques- 
tions ;  as  they  can  more  readily  effect  this  than  others. 
But  when  one  of  these  becomes  en  rapport  with  a  visitor, 


EXPLANATORY   NARRATIVE.  83 

it  increases  the  facility  of  others  present  to  accomplish 
the  same  ;  and  when  one  of  the  latter  succeeds  in  this, 
he,  or  she,  frequently  follows  the  visitor  when  he  leaves. 
Even  if  the  one  of  the  other  world  does  not  become 
able  to  communicate  with  the  visitor,  as  is  hoped,  some- 
thing of  what  passes  in  our  world  can  be  learned  through 
him,  which  is  a  gratification. 

During  my  earlier  investigations,  and  for  some  time 
afterward,  I  was,  as  I  am  now  informed,  thus  followed 
and  accompanied  by  one,  and  sometimes  more  than 
one,  of  the  other  world ;  as  were  others  of  the  party 
that  visited  mediums  and  sat  in  "  circles "  with  me. 
And  when  I  again  visited  mediums  in  the  autumn  of 
1863,  I  was  followed  from  one  of  them  by  Miss  Mc- 
Cauley,  who  is  an  average  specimen  of  those  surround- 
ing and  communicating  through  the  mediums.  My 
friends  know  little  about  her,  other  than  that  she  was 
born  in  Ireland,  and  was  a  common  prostitute  in  New 
York.  It  was  at  her  suggestion  that  I  was  directed, 
through  one  of  the  mediums,  to  sit  alone  for  commu- 
nications ;  as  she  thought  she  would  be  able  to  write 
with  my  hand. 

But  the  power  of  Miss  McCauley  over  my  nervous 
organization  was  very  slight ;  and  never  would  have 
become  very  great  had  not  Mrs.  S.  arrived.  The  name 
first  written  was  obtained  from  my  own  mind,  although 
not  one  I  was  thinking  of  at  the  time.  Others  were 
obtained  in  the  same  way ;  but  some  were  given  by  an 
individual  who  had  lived  in  Cleveland  ;  for  as  soon  as 
Miss  McCauley  became  able  to  write  at  all,  the  lying 
creatures  that  surround  mediums  began  to  gather 
around  me ;  although  I  was  not  acting  as  a  medium  for 


84  MODERN1  DIABOLISM. 

communications  to  others.  The  errors  in  spelling  the 
names  were  generally  owing  to  Miss  McCauley's  igno- 
rance ;  but  the  error  in  attempting  to  give  the  name  of 
my  sister  was  from  a  different  cause.  I  bad  thought 
of  my  sister  when  Miss  McCauley  was  with  me ;  but, 
of  course,  her  name  was  not  prominent  in  my  mind ; 
and  it  seems  that  all  Miss  McCauley  could  make  out 
was  the  latter  portion  of  the  name,  forming  the  some- 
what common  one — Ella.  My  sister  suggests  that'  one 
cause  for  the  error  may  be  the  fact  that  her  name  is  a 
very  uncommon  one  in  Ireland.  This  idea  was  sug- 
gested while  writing  the  above  last  lines,  and  I  am  not 
prepared  to  say  whether  such  is  the  fact,  or  not ;  but  I 
cannot  at  this  moment  recollect  having  ever  known  or 
heard  of  an  Irish  female  having  the  name.  Of  course, 
if  Miss  McCauley  had  not  been  an  idiot,  she  would 
have  perceived  the  first  time  she  wrote  Ella  that  it  was 
not  the  name  of  my  sister. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  Miss  M.  heard  of,  and  visited 
me.  She  then  gave  the  names  of  some  of  the  earlier 
residents  of  Cleveland ;  and,  for  her  aid  in  this  respect, 
Miss  McCauley  permitted  and  assisted  her  to  write ;  but 
the  power  of  Miss  M.  proved  to  be  even  less  than  that 
of  Miss  McCauley.  The  first  visit  of  Mrs.  S.  to  Cleve- 
land was  prior  to  the  death  of  Miss  M.,  and  the  two 
girls,  of  about  the  same  age,  then  met  They  had 
again  met  in  the  other  world ;  and  Miss  M.,  after  visit- 
ing me,  brought  Mi's.  S.  At  first,  Miss  McCauley  per- 
mitted, and  assisted  Mrs.  S.  to  write,  as  she  had  Miss 
M.,  and  for  the  same  reason ;  but  the  power  of  Mrs.  S. 
became  so  rapidly  developed  that  Miss  McCauley,  fear- 
ing she  would  lose  the  control,  soon  refused  to  let  her 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  86 

write.  This  occurred  shortly  before  I  left  New  York 
for  Trenton ;  and  the  ungrammatical  and  coarse  com- 
munications, purporting  to  be  written  by  a  deceased 
friend  of  mine  during  the  last  sittings  in  New  York, 
were  all  by  Miss  McCauley.  Mrs.  S.,  in  increasing  her 
own  power,  had  also  increased  that  of  Miss  McCauley. 
But  Mrs.  S.  also  believed  that  if  Miss  McCauley  could 
be  induced  to  let  her  write  a  little  longer  she  would  get 
the  control ;  and  she,  with  Miss  M.  and  Miss  McCauley, 
went  with  me  to  Trenton. 

One  of  my  visitors  at  the  hotel  in  New  York  was  a 
female  who  had  been  acquainted  with  Mr.  A.,  and  who 
saw  him  there.  This  female  also  followed  me  to  Tren- 
ton ;  and  it  was  at  her  suggestion  that  the  personation 
of  Mr.  A.  was  undertaken.  As  this  personation  has  no 
particular  connection  with  the  main  theme  of  my  nar- 
rative, it  is  unnecessary  to  explain  it  further  than  to 
say  that  the  object  of  the  female  was  to  annoy  Mr.  A  ; 
and  also  that  it  was  a  silly  scheme,  as  it  assumed  that 
I  could  be  induced  to  send  a  letter  purporting  to  be 
from  Mr.  A.  to  his  wife,  without  first  having  learned 
through  ordinary  channels  of  the  death  of  the  for- 
mer. To  carry  out  this  scheme,  Miss  McCauley  was 
induced  to  let  Mrs.  S.  write.  The  latter,  to  avoid  ex- 
citing my  suspicion  that  I  had  been  followed  from  New 
York,  for  several  days  personated  only  individuals  who 
had  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Trenton.  Then  followed 
the  personation  of  Mr.  A. ;  and  when  it  was  found  that 
I  would  not  send  the  letter,  and  probably  because  I 
would  not,  the  females  determined  to  mortify  me  by 
inducing  me  to  inquire  as  often  as  possible  about  the 
death  of  Mr.  A. ;  but  as  the  two  individuals  of  whom  I 


86  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

inquired  must  have  supposed  that  I  had  heard  of  the 
death  in  the  ordinary  way,  I  fail  to  perceive  what  great 
mortification  I  was  expected  to  experience. 

The  statement  which  Miss  McCauley  gave  me  at 
Trenton  of  her  former  life  and  present  character  was  a 
pretty  correct  one ;  and  as  she  now  wrote  in  her  true 
character,  this  increased  her  power.  Mrs.  S.,  perceiv- 
ing the  latter  fact,  advised  me — personating  Mr.  A. — 
not  to  let  her  write.  The  one  who  at  this  sitting  gave 
her  name  as  Annie  Allen  was  Miss  M,  She  stated  that 
her  father  was  a  New-  York  banker  because  I  had  been 
engaged  in  that  business  there.  In  writing,  at  this  time, 
Miss  M.  had  to  be  assisted  by  Mrs.  S.  Soon  afterward 
Mrs.  S.,  perceiving  that  her  power  was  diminished 
when  personating  a  man,  gave  her  name  as  Mrs.  Ar- 
nold. She  had  heard  of  North  Bend,  Ohio,  the  late 
residence  of  General  Harrison,  but  now  thought  the 
name  was  South  Bend,  and  gave  the  latter  as  her  for- 
mer residence.  Subsequently  Mrs.  S.  sometimes  as- 
sumed the  alias  of  Annie  Allen,  sometimes  that  of  Mrs. 
Arnold,  for  reasons  which  will  appear. 

The  likeness  of  Mr.  A.'s  acquaintance  was  obtained 
from  my  mind ;  and  the  individual  first  mistaken  for 
him  was  seen  in  the  street  by  one  who  informed  Mrs. 
S.  Afterward,  at  my  suggestion,  Miss  M.,  guided  by 
one  who  had  lived  in  Trenton,  went  to  the  gentleman's 
hotel,  and  seeing  an  elderly  person  sitting  there  thought 
this  might  be  the  one,  as  I  had  stated  that  the  gentle- 
man was  older  than  the  one  first  taken  for  him.  A  form 
is,  according  to  the  dictionary,  "  a  long  bench  or  seat ; '' 
but  Miss  M.  thought  that  a  plain  desk,  such  as  are  used 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  87 

in  school-houses,  and  such  as  the  gentleman  was  sitting 
at,  was  called  a  form. 

The  electric  shocks  which  I  experienced  about  this 
time  were  caused  by  efforts  to  remove  Miss  MeCauley ; 
as  it  was  perceived  that  this  might  kill  me,  the  attempt 
was  abandoned.  The  statement  that  the  shocks  were 
caused  by  Ellen  because  I  would  not  let  her  write, 
was  written  by  Mrs.  S.  The  subsequent  choking  was 
by  Mrs.  S.,  and  she  did  all  the  talking  at  the  time. 
The  explanation  she  gave  my  friends  of  this  matter 
was,  that  by  making  me  believe-  Ellen  was  trying  to 
choke  me,  while  she,  as  Mrs.  Arnold,  was  endeavoring 
to  protect  me,  she  hoped  to  increase  her  power.  But 
Mrs.  Arnold  did  not  pretend  to  be  doing  anything  to 
prevent  the  choking ;  she  represented,  at  the  time,  that 
she  had  no  power  to  prevent  it ;  and  my  friends  are 
convinced  that  the  persecution  was  solely  from  malig- 
nancy. 

As  I  wish  to  throw  all  the  light  possible  upon  this 
subject,  I  will  here  state  that,  although  there  was  no 
quarrel,  or  particular  enmity,  there  was  not,  within  my 
recollection,  a  very  warm  friendship  existing  between 
the  two  families  of  which  Mrs.  S.  and  myself  were  mem- 
bers ;  and  this  accounts  for  the  fact  that  I  know  so  lit- 
tle about  her.  Whether  this  had  anything  to  do  with 
the  persecution,  or  not,  I  cannot  say.  It  appears  that 
Miss  M.  assisted  in  the  matter  as  far  as  was  in  her  power. 
My  own  acquaintance  with  Mrs.  S.  was  very  slight,  and 
I  had  none  at  all  with  Miss  M. ;  but  from  the  informa- 
tion I  have  received  I  infer  that  if  these  fallen  creatures 
had  previously  known  nothing  about  me  or  the  family 
of  which  I  was  a  member,  they  would  not  then  have 


88  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

persecuted  me ;  for,  as  yet,  I  had  in  no  way — except  in 
the  refusal  to  send  the  letter  to  Mrs.  A.,  about  which 
these  two  could  not  have  cared  much — thwarted  their 
inclinations.  But  this  fiendish  malignancy  towards  one 
they  had  formerly  known,  or  rather  towards  a  member 
of  a  family  which  they  had  known — -whatever  may  have 
produced  it — was  undoubtedly  the  cause  of  this  perse- 
cution, and  also  of  the  readiness  of  these  two  females 
to  enter  into  the  personation  of  Mr.  A. ;  for  if  I  had 
been  prevailed  on  to  send  the  letter  to  Mrs.  A.,  the  re- 
sult would,  of  course,  have  been  extremely  mortifying 
tome. 

The  choking,  or  attempts  at  choking,  were  performed 
by  creating  what,  when  they  become  visible,  Spiritual- 
ists call  "  spirit-hands  ;  "  in  which  operation  my  elec- 
tricity, or  nervous  fluid,  as  it  is  called,  was  used ;  and 
it  was  the  exhaustion  of  this  fluid  that  brought  on  the 
palpitation  of  the  heart  and  partial  paralysis  of  the 
limbs.  And  it  was  Mrs.  S.  who,  personating  Ellen, 
said  she  produced  this,  and  meant  to  kill  me.  The 
power  of  Miss  McCauley  had  by  this  time  been  so  far 
overcome  that  she  could  neither  write  or  talk  when 
Mrs.  S.  endeavored  to  prevent  her. 

But  the  power  of  Miss  McCauley  was  still  so  great 
that,  being  an  idiot,  she  was  an  impediment  to  Mrs.  S. 
and  Miss  M.  The  latter  two  would  have  had  the  as- 
sistance of  others  present  in  removing  her  if  it  had  been 
thought  prudent  to  do  so  ;  but  it  was  still  feared  that 
this  might  kill  me.  The  two  females  then  conceived 
the  idea  of  making  me  believe  that  Ellen  was  killed. 
They  now  thought  of  trying  to  induce  me  to  act  as  a 
public  medium,  and  wished  first  to  reduce  the  power 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  89 

of  Miss  McCauley  as  far  as  possible.  They  had  now 
learned  the  operation  of  my  mind,  and  understood  that  if 
I  could  be  made  to  believe  Ellen  was  killed,  her  power 
would  be  greatly  diminished.  Of  course  the  effect 
would  be  the  same  if  I  believed  she  was  removed,  which  I 
would  have  been  far  more  likely  to  do ;  but  of  these  two 
plans,  the  females  naturally  chose  the  most  silly  one. 
Mrs.  S.  believed  that  my  thinking  intently  of  my  father 
for  such  a  length  of  time  would  increase  her  power ; 
but  why  she  thus  believed  is  not  very  clear,  and  it  had 
little,  if  any,  effect  of  the  kind.  My  error  as  to  the 
effect  of  this  night's  operations  arose  from  the  fact  that 
up  to  this  time  Mrs.  S.  frequently  personated  Ellen  in 
speaking;  and  as  she  now  ceased  doing  so,  I  inferred 
that  Ellen's  power  had  been  destroyed. 

The  original  intention  of  the  two  females  in  reference 
to  my  acting  as  a  public  medium,  was  simply  persona- 
tions and  deceptions,  as  through  others.  How  they 
expected  to  induce  me  to  relinquish  the  business  in 
which  I  was  then  engaged,  to  enter  upon  that  of  a 
medium,  which  I  think  cannot  be  very  lucrative,  I  do 
not  understand.  But  they  knew  I  could  not  be  induced 
to  act  at  all  as  a  medium  in  Trenton,  and  besides,  pre- 
ferred having  me  go  to  New  York  where  visitors  would 
be  more  numerous. 

When  I  was  told  in  New  York  the  preceding  autumn 
of  the  suicide  of  Mr.  KL,  the  stock-broker,  neither  Mrs. 
S.  or  Miss  M.  was  with  me.  But  it  appears  that  I  had 
thought  of  the  matter  since,  when  they  both  were  with 
me ;  and  they  received  the  impression  from  my  mind 
that  Mr.  K.  would  be  a  man  suitable  for  their  purpose. 
This  purpose  was  to  have  some  one  come  and  personate 


90  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

deceased  bankers  and  brokers,  late  of  New  York,  and 
thus  induce  me  to  go  there  and  act  as  a  medium.  I  am 
told  that  the  two  females  received  from  me  the  impres- 
sion that  Mr.  K.  was  a  man  who  would  be  likely  to  do 
this ;  and  suppose  such  must  be  the  fact  But  the  truth 
is  that  I  would  not,  at  that  time,  have  believed  Mr.  K. 
would  enter  into  such  a  scheme ;  for  I  could  not  then, 
nor  can  I  now,  understand  how  any  man,  whether  in 
this  world  or  the  other,  can  feel  any  interest,  or  find  any 
amusement  in  such  nonsense.  The  impression  I  really 
had  of  Mr.  K.  was,  that  he  was  about  as  honest  as  the 
average  of  stock-brokers — perhaps  it  would  be  more 
correct  to  say  stock-gambkrs,  for  he  was  of  the  latter 
class — and  that  he  was  not  such  a  man  as  I  would 
choose  for  an  intimate  companion.  I  think  my  impres- 
sion of  him  was  no  worse  than  this ;  and  the  impression 
the  two  females  really  received  was,  not  that  Mr.  K. 
when  in  our  world  would  engage  in  such  trifling  decep- 
tions, but  that  he  would  probably  become  such  a  being 
on  passing  into  their  world. 

Miss  M.  therefore  went  in  search  of,  and  found  Mr.  K. ; 
and  here,  as  might  be  expected,  there  is  a  discrepancy 
in  the  statements.  Miss  M.  asserts  that  Mr.  K.,  before 
she  brought  him  to  me,  agreed  to  assist  in  the  persona- 
tions ;  Mr.  K.  avers  that  he  entered  into  no  such  agree- 
ment. It  appears  to  me  that  the  point  is  not  a  very  im- 
portant one,  inasmuch  as  Mr.  K  did,  when  he  came, 
personate  another  individual. 

tip  to  this  date  there  was  nothing  in  my  case  differ- 
ing from  that  of  other  mediums,  except  that  Mrs.  S.  and 
Miss  M.  are  more  intellectual  than  those  in  control  of 
any  other,  and  the  consequent  conflict  between  them  and 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  91 

Miss  McCauley.  And  if  the  two  females  had  succeeded 
in  their  original  scheme,  there  would  have  occurred 
nothing  new.  The  truth  is,  however,  that  there  never 
was  any  possibility  of  their  success  in  this  scheme. 
Neither  of  them  had  acquired  the  power  of  communicat- 
ing freely  before  I  became  unwell ;  in  fact,  it  was  during 
my  illness  that  Mrs.  S.  became  able  to  talk  with  me.  I 
was  not  then  in  a  condition  to  test  the  identity  of  in- 
dividuals, or,  in  fact,  to  reason  very  strongly  upon  the 
subject;  but  even  then,  the  personations  appeared  so 
vague  and  unsatisfactory  that  I  should  not  have  enter- 
tained for  a  moment  the  idea  of  serving  as  a  medium  for 
communications  to  others.  Before  the  arrival  of  Mr.  EL, 
I  had  become  sceptical  as  to  whether  any  of  my  friends 
had  communicated  with  me ;  and  I  knew  that  most,  if 
not  all,  the  communications  since  my  recovery  from  ill- 
ness were  personations.  In  order  to  have  induced  me 
to  serve  as  a  medium,  it  would  have  been  absolutely 
necessary  to  have  brought  my  friends  and  permitted 
them  to  communicate  freely  with  me ;  which,  of  course, 
would  have  defeated  the  scheme  of  these  females. 

I  very  much  doubt  whether  mediums,  generally,  have 
as  much  faith  in  the  genuineness  of  the  communications 
as  their  visitors.  During  my  earlier  investigations,  I 
once  asked  a  celebrated  medium  if  he  had  ever,  for 
himself,  received  a  communication  purporting  to  be 
from  a  departed  friend  which  he  was  perfectly  satisfied 
was  genuine.  He  frankly  replied  that  he  never  bad. 
Yet  this  man  was  every  day  serving  as  a  medium  for 
communications  to  others,  which  the  recipients  were 
"  perfectly  satisfied  "  came  from  the  friends  whose  names 
were  given.  One  of  the  mediums  that  I  visited  in  the 


92  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

autumn  of  1865,  for  the  purpose  stated,  was  Mrs.  Under- 
bill— formerly  Mrs.  Brown — and  I  asked  her  the  same 
question,  stating  my  own  convictions.  She  replied, 
after  some  hesitation,  that  she  thought  she  had  received 
such ;  but  did  not  speak  with  the  confidence  of  those 
who  had  received  communications  through  her ;  and  it 
was  to  me  evident  from  her  remarks  that,  while  she 
was  honest  in  the  matter,  and  allowed  the  recipients  to 
judge  for  themselves,  she  had,  herself,  not  much  faith 
in  the  genuineness  of  the  immense  number  of  messages 
which  had  been  delivered  through  her.  It  is  proper  to 
state  that  she  was  not  at  this  time,  and  has  not  been 
since  her  last  marriage,  a  public  medium.  Her  husband, 
who  was  present  when  I  made  the  above  inquiry,  re- 
marked, after  her  reply,  that  if  there  had,  as  yet,  been 
no  medium  through  whom  truthful  communications 
could  be  received,  perhaps  there  would  be  such  a  one 
hereafter.  This  remark  shows  veiy  clearly  his  opinion 
upon  this  point ;  and,  although  not  himself  a  medium, 
he  must  have  had  opportunities  for  forming  a  correct 
judgment 

But,  aside  from  all  this,  if  I  had  commenced  acting  as 
a  public  medium,  my  friends  in  the  other  world  would 
soon  have  learned  the  fact,  and  found  me ;  and  would 
have  taken  the  course  they  did  when  brought  to  me. 

It  here  becomes  necessary  to  make  a  statement  which 
may  appear  rather  egotistical ;  but  the  statement  is  one 
which  I  have  received,  and  I  cannot  avoid  giving  it  if 
what  follows  is  to  be  rendered  intelligible.  There  has 
never  lived  in  our  world  another  individual  with  whom 
any  of  the  other  world  but  the  most  degraded  class, 
could  communicate,  except  on  very  rare  occasions,  and 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  93 

then  only  for  a  moment  It  is  a  fact  that  one  of  our 
world  may  in  a  certain  stage  of  sleep  receive,  in  some 
way.  a  communication  from  a  departed  friend ;  or  the 
one  of  the  other  world  may  have  succeeded  in  becoming 
so  perfectly  en  rapport  with  the  one  of  this  while  the 
latter  was  asleep  as  to  be  able  to  deliver  the  message,  by 
impression  of  ideas,  by  vision,  or  even  by  audible  words, 
at  the  moment  of  the  latter's  awaking ;  but  as  soon  as 
the  individual  is  fully  awake  the  rapport  is  dissolved, 
and  the  power  of  communication  is  gone.  "What  is 
meant  is,  that  there  has  never  lived  one  with  whom 
communication  could  be  held  at  any  time,  or  for  any 
length  of  time,  by  any  of  the  other  world  except  the 
degraded  and  lying  class.  And  it  is  not  meant  that 
there  are  no  others  who  could  be  brought  into  the  same 
condition  as  myself,  but  simply  that  circumstances  have 
not  conspired  to  bring  them  into  this  condition.  Why 
one  class  of  the  other  world  has  more  power  in  this  re- 
spect than  another,  will  be  explained  hereafter  so  far  as 
I  am  able ;  but  it  cannot  be  fully  explained ;  like  life 
itself,  it  must  remain  a  mystery. 

One  reason  why  those  of  the  other  world  will  not 
communicate  with  their  friends  in  ours  through  the 
mediums  is,  that  the  devils  in  control  of  the  latter  will 
not  permit  all  the  facts  to  be  given.  It  is  not  merely 
that  the  friend  .would  be  left  subject  to  the  receipt  of 
false  messages  and  liable  to  impositions,  but  that  as  he 
would  continue  to  visit  mediums  when  no  friend  of  the 
other  world  was  present  to  prevent,  he  would  soon, 
perhaps,  be  in  the  condition  of  myself  and  many  others ; 
some  devil  would  become  so  far  en  rapport  that  he,  or 
she,  could  not  be  removed  without  injury. 


94  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

When  Mr.  K.  was  brought  to  me  at  Trenton,  he  per- 
ceived that  almost  any  one  of  his  world  could  be  placed 
en  rapport  with  me  by  Mrs.  S.,  so  as  to  be  able  to  com- 
municate direct  He  told  the  two  females  that  it  would 
be  useless  to  try  to  persuade  me  to  act  as  a  medium  in 
the  way  they  proposed ;  that  my  friends  must  first  be 
placed  in  communication  with  me,  and  the  idea  of  per- 
sonations be  abandoned.  He  suggested,  also,  that  it 
would  be  more  interesting  to  have  real  communications 
made  through  me,  than  merely  to  practice  personations 
as  was  done  through  other  mediums.  But  one  difficulty 
was,  that  Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  M.,  although  more  intelli- 
gent, are  as  great  liars  as  those  in  control  of  other 
mediums. 

On  learning  what  relatives  I  had  in  his  world,  Mr. 
K.  proposed  that  one  of  my  sisters  should  be  placed  en 
rapport  to  remain  constantly  with  me.  In  this  way  he 
thought  I  might  be  induced  to  act  as  a  medium.  His 
idea  was  that  I  should  serve  mostly  for  communications 
to  wealthy  individuals,  charging  a  large  fee,  so  as  to 
make  the  business  a  lucrative  one.  And  he  wished  to 
be  connected  with  the  business  as  a  sort  of  manager  in 
his  world.  But  here,  as  Mr.  K.  had  given  the  females 
his  opinion  on  one  point,  they  now  gave  him  theirs  on 
another.  They  told  him  that  I  would  not  have  him 
for  manager.  The  idea  then  occurred  to  Mr.  K.  of 
getting  some  one  to  act  as  manager  who  would  permit 
him  to  be  associated.  He  knew  of  the  death  of  Mr. 
H.,  the  late  bank  president,  as  it  occurred  before  his 
own ;  and  appears  to  have  assumed  that  because  Mr.  H. 

was  formerly  president  of  the  M Bank  he  wo'uld 

be  acceptable  to  me.  I  know  nothing  about  Mr.  H. 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  95 

further  than  that  he  was  president  of  this  bank,  which 
would  not,  of  itself,  be  with  me  any  recommendation 
for  such  a  position ;  one  of  the  duties  of  which  would 
have  been,  as  I  understand,  to  decide  who  might  com- 
municate through  me ;  for,  of  course,  even  if  I  devoted 
my  whole  time  to  the  business,  but  a  small  proportion 
of  the  other  world  could  do  so.  My  friends  state  that 
Mr.  H.  is  not  a  proper  person  for  such  a  position ;  and 
the  fact  that  he  entered  into  the  scheme  of  Mr.  K.,  and 
concealed  the  matter  from  my  friends,  is  sufficient 
evidence  on  this  point  The  truth  is  that  if  he  had 
been  qualified  for  the  position,  Mr.  K.  would  not  have 
attempted  to  negotiate  with  him. 

Mr.  K.  found  Mr.  H.  and  proposed  the  scheme,  when 
the  latter  readily  entered  into  it;  but,  as  the  females 
objected  to  having  him  brought  to  me  until  an  arrange- 
ment had  been  made  with  my  friends,  Mr.  K.  attempted 
to  personate  Mr.  H.  The  delay  in  speaking  to  my 
friends  about  the  matter,  was  owing  to  the  fact  that 
neither  Mr.  K  or  Mr.  H.  had  any  valid  reasons  to  offer 
for  being  permitted  to  act  as  managers;  and  it  was 
necessary  for  them  to  arrange  some  plan  by  which  thej 
could  be  of  service  to  me. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  I  had  heard  nothing  aboul 
Miss  Annie  Allen  since  learning  definitely  that  Mr.  A. 
was  still  living  in  .our  world.  This  name  having  been 
used  in  that  attempt  at  deception,  had  not  since  been 
given.  But  Mrs.  S. — personating  the  late  bank  presi- 
dent— now  stated  that  he  had  engaged  Miss  Allen  to 
stay  with  me  and  prevent  deceptions.  In  the  persona 
tions  of  the  bank  president  and  others  at  this  time,  Mrs. 
S.  did  most  of  the  writing  and  talking ;  she  would  not 


96  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

permit  Mr.  K.  to  do  much  of  either.  And  in  order  to 
carry  out  the  new  scheme,  it  was  necessary  that  the 
aliases  of  the  two  females  should  be  dropped,  and  theii 
real  names  given  before  the  arrival  of  my  friends.  Mrs. 
Arnold  was  now  to  leave,  and  in  a  short  time  Mrs.  S. 
was  to  arrive.  In  the  meantime,  Miss  Allen  was  to  re 
main  with  me  ;  after  the  arrival  of  Mrs.  S.  she  too  would 
leave,  and  Miss  M.  arrive.  Mrs.  S.  had  sometimes  con- 
versed under  the  alias  of  Miss  Allen,  as  well  as  under 
that  of  Mrs.  Arnold.  As  regards  the  fictitious  names, 
the  effect  with  me  was  the  same  as  if  the  females  had 
given  their  real  ones ;  I  had  become  acquainted,  so  to 
speak,  with  Mrs.  Arnold  and  Miss  Allen ;  and  it  was 
feared  that  if  both  these  characters  were  at  once  with- 
drawn Miss  McCauley  would  gain  power.  There  was 
some  cunning  in  this,  but  not  much  wisdom ;  for  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  have  concealed  from  my 
friends — especially  if  my  sister  had  been  placed  inti 
mately  en  rapport  with  me — what  had  occurred.  There 
appears  to  have  been  at  this  time  no  definite  plan  for 
getting  rid  of  Miss  McCauley ;  though  it  was  thought 
they  might  eventually  accomplish  this  by  placing  her 
en  rapport  with  some  other  person. 

Mr.  H.  suggested  the  idea  of  having  some  one  of  our 
world  associated  with  me  ;  the  advantage  of  which  I  do 
not  perceive ;  but  the  probability  is  that  he  thought  by 
having  some  former  acquaintance  of  his  associated  with 
me  he  would  be  better  able  to  secure  his  position  as 

manager.     He  named  David  L ,  formerly  president 

of  one  of  the  largest  banks  in  New  York,  for  this  pur- 
pose ;  and  the  object  in  having  a  letter  written  at  once 
to  Mr.  L,  was,  probably,  to  procure  his  influence  with 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  97 

me  in  favor  of  Mr.  H.  as  manager  ;  an  influence  which 
would  have  amounted  to  nothing.  I -know  very  little 
about  Mr.  L.  other  than  what  my  invisible  friends  have 
told  me.  On  inquiring,  I  have  learned  that  he  was 
president  of  the  bank  they  named,  but  resigned  several 
years  prior  to  my  coming  to  New  York,  and  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Massachusetts.  I  have  not  taken  the  trouble  to 
learn  whether  he  had  left  New  York  prior  to  the  time 
of  which  I  am  now  writing,  or  not.  The  Mr.  L. 
whose  name  I  had  seen  with  the  prefix*  of  Reverend  is 
Joshua  L.,  editor  of  a  religious  newspaper  in  New 
York 

Mr.  H.  gave  Mr.  K.,  orally,  the  substance  of  the  let- 
ter to  be  written  Mr.  L.  ;  and  gave  him  correctly  the 
first  name  of  the  latter.  Mr.  K.  had  somehow  got  the 
impression  that  the  name  of  the  cashier  of  the  bank  was 
that  of  the  president ;  and,  which  is  more  inexplicable, 
this  error  was  not  corrected  at  his  interview  with  Mr. 
H.  What  seems,  if  possible,  still  more  strange  is,  that 
Mr.  K  did  not  recollect  the  first  name  of  either  cashier 
or  president :  and  did  not,  at  the  interview,  inquire  for 
it,  although  he  must  have  known  it  would  have  to  be 
signed  to  the  letter.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Mr. 
K.,  although  when  in  our  world  considered  about  as 
sharp  as  the  average  of  brokers,  is  now  very  stupid.  T 
was  slightly  acquainted  in  New  York  with  a  Mr.  Joseph 
M.  (the  surname  being  that  of  the  former  cashier  of  the 
bank),  who  was  connected  with  a  Wall  street  insurance 
company ;  and  it  appears  that  after  the  first  personation 

of  the  late  bank  president,  when  the  surname  M 

only  was  given,  I  thought  of  this  person  arid  his  name. 
S.  thus  got  the  impression  that  the  first  name  of 


98  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  late  bank  president  was  Joseph.  The  letter  to  Mr. 
L.,  although  partly  dictated  by  Mr.  K,  was  written  by 
Mrs.  S.  ;  but  Mr.  K.  knew  what  name  she  signed  to  the 
letter,  and  the  affair  was  so  very  stupid  as  scarcely  to 
admit  of  an  intelligible  explanation.  The  error  in  di- 
recting the  letter  to  David  A.  L ,  Mr.  L.  having  no 

middle  name,  was,  I  am  informed,  by  Mr.  K.  The  blun- 
ders would  appear  less  strange  if  these  persons  had  not 
been  engaged  in  what  was  to  them  an  important  scheme. 
Mr.  K.  was  the  first  visitor  who  gave  his  real  name. 
There  was  no  reason  for  concealing  it  that  I  can  per- 
ceive ;  but  it  seems  strange  that,  having  such  a  scheme 
in  view,  he  and  the  females  could  not  at  this  time  avoid 
useless  personations  ;  that  is,  personations  having  no 
connection  with  the  scheme.  It  will  be  recollected  that 
when  his  name  was  first  given — which  was  after  the 
first  personation  of  the  late  bank  president — I  was  told 
that  about  forty  persons,  including  Howard,  Daboll, 
Dudley  M.,  and  a  Mr.  T.,  were  present.  The  only  ex- 
planation given  of  this  is,  that  Mr.  K.  thought  it  the 
best  mode  of  accounting  for  his  presence.  "Why  the 
name  of  Dudley  M.  happened  to  be  given,  was  to  me  a 
mystery  which  is  now  explained.  The  person  they  in- 
tended to  make  me  believe  present,  was  Horace  M.,  late 
president  of  an  Ohio  college,  and  well  known  for  his 
services  in  the  cause  of  education.  When  I  spoke  of 
Dudley  M.  having  gone  to  Europe,  the  mistake  was 
perceived,  but  as  it  could  not  well  be  rectified,  it  was 
stated  that  he  died  in  Paris.  The  name  of  Daboll  was 
suggested  by  Miss  M.,  who  had  studied  his  Arithmetic  ; 

a  work  superseded  many  years  since. 

-  During  the  last  six  years  of  my  residence  in  Cleve- 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  99 

land  I  was  secretary  of  a  railway  company.  The  bank- 
ing-house of  which  Mr.  W.  was  the  senior  member  was 
the  financial  agent  of  the  company ;  and  the  firm  of 
which  Mr.  K  was  a  partner,  owing  to  circumstances  not 
necessary  to  be  mentioned,  at  that  time  dealt  more 
largely  in  the  stock  of  the  company  than  other  brokers ; 
owing  to  which  fact  I  became  acquainted  with  him  be- 
fore I  left  Cleveland.  The  gentleman  who  was  president 
of  the  company  during  most  of  the  time  that  I  was  con- 
nected with  it — a  very  prominent  person  in  Ohio — died 
in  the  year  1860. 

When  I  inquired  of  Mr.  K.,  who  was  personating  the 
late  bank  president,  if  he  had  met  Mr.  W.  in  the  other 
world,  he  intimated  in  his  reply  that  he  was  not  aware 
that  the  latter  had  entered  it  This  appears  to  have 
been  an  aimless  falsehood,  for  Mr.  K.  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  W.,  and  knew  of  the  latter 's  death  at 
the  time  it  occurred.  But  this  inquiry  suggested  to 
Mr.  K.  the  idea  that  the  association  of  Mr.  W.  and  the 
late  president  of  the  railway  company — especially  the 
latter — in  the  scheme,  would  be  more  likely  to  meet  my 
approval,  and  secure  my  co-operation,  than  that  of  the 
late  bank  president,  whom,  as  he  now  perceived,  I 
knew  nothing  about  He  therefore  found  Mr.  W.,  who 
readily  assented  to  the  proposal,  and  who  subsequently 
spoke  to  the  late  railway  president  and  secured  his  co- 
operation. It  was  assumed  by  these  persons  that  my 
relatives  in  their  world,  especially  my  father,  would 
have  great  influence  with  me ;  and  they  aimed  at  secur- 
ing this  influence.  The  late  railway  president,  although 
not  for  many  years  previous  to  his  death  a  resident  of 
Cleveland,  had  formerly  resided  there,  and  been  ac- 


100  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

• 

quainted  with  my  father.  It  was  therefore  decided  that 
he  should  call  on  my  father  and  endeavor  to  secure  his 
influence;  but  the  matter  was  still  postponed  for  the 
reason  that  they  had  no  satisfactory  inducement  to  otfer. 

The  letter  to  Mr.  L.  was  written  before  I  made  the  in- 
quiry about  Mr.  W. ;  and  my  visit  to  New  York,  when 
I  called  for  the  answer,  was  soon  after  Mr.  K.  had  seen 
Mr.  W.  and  made  the  proposal.  When,  at  this  visit,  I 
made  the  inquiries  and  learned  that  the  name  of  the  late 
bank  president  was  not  M.  but  H.,  the  two  females  de- 
cided that  Mr.  K.  was  too  stupid  for  their  purpose,  and 
that  Mr.  W.  should  be  brought.  Mr.  K.  then  immedi- 
ately conducted  Miss  M.  to  Mr.  W.,  and  the  latter  ac- 
companied her  to  Trenton  the  same  evening.  When, 
sitting  on  the  piazza  of  the  hotel  at  Trenton  that  even- 
ing, I  was  told  by  oce  personating  the  late  bank  presi- 
dent that  he  had  been  "  home  "  and  learned  that  his  name 
was  H.,  Mr.  W.  was  present;  and  although  the  words 
were  spoken  by  Mrs.  S.,  they  were  suggested  by  Mr.  W. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Mr.  W.,  at  this  time,  not  to 
give  his  name  until  after  Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  M.  had  given 
theirs,  and  Mrs.  Arnold  with  Miss  Allen  had,  as  would 
be  represented,  left ;  which  would  obviate  the  necessity 
of  explanation  on  the  part  of  Mr.  W.  as  to  his  connec- 
tion with  the  latter  two.  As  Mr.  H.  had  been,  to  a 
certain  extent,  advised  of  the  facts,  it  was  the  intention 
of  Mr.  W.  that  he  should  be  associated  in  the  matter ; 
and  should,  when  he  came,  corroborate  what  I  was  now 
told.  It  is  probable  that  Mr.  W.  did  not  expect  to  de- 
ceive my  friends  in  his  world,  but  did  expect  that  they 
might  be  induced  to  conceal  the  facts  from  me ;  and  this 
expectation  was  based  upon  his  knowledge  that  it  would 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  101 

be  difficult,  safely  for  me,  forcibly  to  remove  Mrs.  S.  and 
Miss  McCaiiley.  But  the  idea  that  I  could  serve  for 
any  length  of  time  as  a  medium  for  genuine  communi- 
cations, thus  learning  how  distinctly  those  of  the  other 
world  recollect  the  incidents  in  their  former  lives,  and 
yet  believe  that  some  forget  their  names,  was  a  very 
silly  one. 

But  Mr.  W.,  soon  after  his  arrival,  told  the  two  females 
that  my  friends  would  be  very  much  opposed  to  their 
remaining  with  me ;  and  he  suggested  the  idea  of  develop- 
ing for  them  another  medium.  In  consequence  of  this? 
they  decided  to  postpone  giving  their  real  names. 

It  was  thought  another  medium,  with  whom  Mrs.  S. 
and  Miss  M.  could  communicate,  might  be  developed 
with  my  assistance ;  though  the  attempt  would  be  an 
experiment  The  two  females  having  been  with  me 
when  I  met  Miss  B.  in  New  York  the  preceding  spring, 
named  her  as  one  who  they  thought  might  be  made 
such  a  medium :  one  reason  for  naming  her  being  the 
fact  that  her  father  was  at  this  time  in  their  world,  and 
they,  for  reasons  not  necessary  to  be  specified,  believed 
he  would  co-operate  in  the  matter.  Nothing,  however, 
was  said  to  him  about  it  at  this  time. 

As  it  was  doubtful  whether  another  medium  with 
whom  she  could  communicate  would  or  could  be  devel- 
oped, Mrs.  S.,  knowing  the  difficulty  there  would  be  in 
removing  her,  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  remain 
with  me.  The  scheme  on  this  point  as  finally  agreed 
upon  was  as  follows : — If  my  friends  agreed  that  Mrs.  S. 
should  remain  with  me,  I  was  to  be  told  that  my  father 
brought  her,  and  wished  to  have  her  remain  with  me, 
and  that  she  had  not  before  seen  me.  If  my  friends 


102  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

would  not  consent  to  this,  then  an  attempt  was  to  be 
made,  provided  T  would  assist,  to  develop  another 
medium.  If  another  medium  was  developed,  Miss  M. 
was  also  to  be  connected  with  her ;  but  if  not,  she  would 
be  unprovided  for,  as  it  was  known  there  would  be  little 
difficulty  in  removing  her  from  me.  And  if  Mr.  "W. 
could  not  arrange  to  be  connected  with  me,  he  was  to 
be  one  of  the  managers  of  the  other  medium. 

Of  course,  if  Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  M.  were  to  have  control 
of  the  other  medium,  individuals  of  the  other  world 
would  be  no  more  inclined  to  communicate  with  their 
friends  here  through  this  medium  than  through  others  ; 
and  therefore  Mr.W.  would  have  no  inducement  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  medium.  But,  as  explained  to  me,  those 
of  the  opposite  sexes  are  the  greatest  electrical  affinities 
— a  term  which,  as  here  applied,  I  confess  I  do  not  quite 
understand — and  the  other  medium  was  to  be  a  female, 
so  that  a  male  of  the  other  world  would  have  the  con- 
trol. It  was  the  intention  if  Miss  B.  was  made  a  medium, 
that  her  father  should  be  the  one  having  control. 

The  alias  Mrs.  Arnold  had  been  dropped  by  Mrs.  S. 
soon  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  K,  for  the  reason  given ; 
but  she  found  that  she  had  not  as  much  power  under 
the  alias  of  Miss  Allen  as  she  formerly  had  under 
that  of  Mrs.  Arnold.  I  had  become  acquainted,  so  to 
speak,  with  two  distinct  females,  Mrs.  S.  as  Mrs.  Arnold, 
and  Miss  M.  as  Miss  Allen ;  and  these  two  females  are 
not  now  precisely  alike  in  character,  as  they  were  not  in 
our  world.  As  Mrs.  S.  had  concluded  not  to  give  me 
her  name  at  this  time,  she  decided  to  resume  the  alias 
of  Mrs.  Arnold.  But  at  the  same  time,  as  she  had  not 
lately  used  that  name,  and  I  had  the  impression  that 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  103 

Mrs.  Arnold  had  left,  she  apprehended  that  she  might 
not  now  have  her  former  power  under  that  alias ;  for 
these  silly  females  had,  from  experience,  become  very 
knowing  as  to  the  effect  of  my  mincL 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  W.'s  arrival,  I  was  contemplating 
the  visit  to  Long  Branch ;  and  it  was  decided,  for  no 
very  profound  reason,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  to  take 
advantage  of  this  visit  for  the  experiment  of  resuming 
the  alias  of  Mrs.  Arnold,  and  also  for  giving  me  the 
name  of  Miss  M. 

The  plan  was  that  on  leaving  for  Long  Branch  I 
should  be  told  Miss  Allen  would  not  accompany  me, 
and  Mrs.  Arnold  would  If  it  was  found  that  Mrs.  S. 
under  the  alias  of  Mrs.  Arnold  retained  her  former 
power,  or  had  more  power  than  under  the  alias  of  Miss 
Allen,  the  latter  name  was  not  to  be  further  used ;  I 
was  to  be  told,  at  first,  that  she  had  probably  been  un- 
able to  find  me,  and  afterward  some  other  reason  would 
be  given  for  her  continued  absence.  If,  however,  it 
was  found  that  Mrs.  S.  had  now  less  power  under  the 
alias  of  Mrs.  Arnold  than  under  that  of  Miss  Allen, 
the  latter  was  to  be  resumed  by  her.  Miss  M.  had 
decided  to  give  me  her  name,  representing  that  she 
visited  me  for  the  first  time  at  Long  Branch.  She 
seems  to  have  hoped  that,  even  if  Mrs.  S.  remained 
with  me,  I  might  be  induced  to  assist  in  developing 
another  medium. 

The  result  of  the  experiment  showed  that  Mrs.  S. 
had  now  less  power  under  the  alias  of  Mrs.  Arnold  than 
under  that  of  Miss  Allen.  When  I  thought  the  latter 
was  not  with  me,  Miss  McCauley  became  able  to  annoy 
me  by  talking.  The  coarse  and  vulgar  talking  on  the 


104  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

boat,  and  during  the  first  two  days  and  nights  at  Long 
Branch,  was  by  her.  If  she  had  again  given  her  name 
as  Ellen,  it  would  have  increased  her  power ;  but,  being 
an  idiot,  she  thought  she  could  frighten  me  more  by 
personating  a  man.  It  will  be  recollected  that  the  pre- 
vious efforts  to  frighten  me,  when  the  name  Ellen  was 
used,  were  not  by  her,  but  by  Mrs.  S.  The  alias  of 
Miss  Allen  was  resumed  by  Mrs.  S.,  and  ultimately  the 
power  of  Miss  McCauley  to  talk  was  overcome ;  but  my 
walking  on  the  bluff  and  thinking  intently  of  Miss  Allen 
had  little  effect,  that  not  being  the  action  of  the  mind 
which  is  most  efficient  This  occurrence  suggested  the 
idea  of  ceasing,  for  awhile,  oral  conversation  and  writing 
when  they  wished  to  communicate;  a  resolution  not 
strictly  adhered  to,  however,  for  the  females  would  talk, 
though  much  less  than  formerly. 

The  name  of  Miss  M.  was  given  me  only  once  at  Long 
Branch;  and  then  I  was  merely  told  by  Mrs.  S.  that 
she  was  present;  she  did  not  say  any  thing  herself. 
The  name  was  given  me  to  see  what  my  recollection 
of  her  would  be ;  but,  as  I  have  said,  I  could  not  recol- 
lect her  at  all.  At  first,  I  thought  it  was  a  sister,  who 
died  later;  but  immediately  remembered  that  the  first 
name  of  this  sister  was  not  Mary,  and  then  recollected 
having  heard  of  the  death  of  Mary  M. 

Mr.  W.  and  party,  in  order  to  secure  the  management, 
intended  to  be  of  service  to  me ;  and  this  was  to  be  ac- 
complished by  means  of  communications  through  me. 
One  plan,  and  the  prominent  one,  which  they  had  in 
view,  has  been  partly  explained  to  me ;  but  it  is  unne- 
cessary to  state  it  It  was  neither  a  very  profound  nor 
a  silly  one,  but  about  such  as  might  have  occurred  to 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  105 

an  individual  of  our  world  under  similar  circumstances. 
But  nothing  was  to  be  done,  in  reference  to  carrying 
out  this  plan,  until  I  went  to  New  York  in  the  autumn ; 
and  before  I  left  Long  Branch,  an  event  occurred  which 
obliged  this  party,  as  was  thought,  to  abandon  the  idea 
of  being  connected  with  me,  and  caused  Mr.  W.  to  aim 
at  procuring  another  medium. 

As  stated  in  the  preceding  narrative,  there  is  involved 
in  the  affair  of  the  Count  and  wife  a  fraud  on  the  Brit- 
ish nation.  It  has  been,  and  is  still,  the  cause  of  some 
expense  to  the  nation ;  how  much,  I  have  not  taken 
the  trouble  to  ascertain,  but  presume  that,  comparative- 
ly speaking,  the  sum  is  not  very  great  Aside  from 
this,  so  far  as  concerns  the  British  nation,  I  do  not 
know  that  the  fraud  has  had,  or  will  have  any  injurious 
effect  if  it  remains  undiscovered.  But  upon  this  point 
I  have  not  sufficient  information  to  enable  me  to  decide 
intelligently.  Be  this  as  it  may,  with  Englishmen  the 
expense  which  the  nation  has  incurred  would  not  be 
the  important  item. 

Now,  although  this  fraud  is  not  universally  known 
in  the  other  world,  it  is  known  to  many  there ;  and 
some  Englishmen  by  birth  would  like  to  have  the 
matter  rectified.  Mr.  "W.  and  party,  in  endeavoring  to 
carry  out  their  plan,  had  been  making  certain  inquiries, 
and  these  inquiries  were  of  such  a  nature  that  it  became 
necessary  to  state  their  object  It  thus  became  known 
to  several  that  a  medium  differing  from  any  hitherto 
found  had  been  discovered ;  though  not  who  or  where 
this  medium  was.  This  intelligence  reached  one  who 
had  knowledge  of  the  Count's  affair,  and  was  by  him 
communicated  to  the  Count,  with  the  suggestion  that 


106  MODERN   DIABOLISM.  ( 

this  might  offer  means  for  rectifying  the  fraud  he  had 
committed.  The  Count  on  hearing  of  the  matter,  and  of 
the  inducement  which  Mr.  W.  and  party  intended  to 
offer  in  order  to  secure  the  management,  conceived  the 
same  incomprehensible  desire  to  be  manager ;  and  he 
thought  he  could  offer  an  inducement  of  the  same 
nature  as  that  proposed  by  Mr.  "W.,  which  would  be  a 
much  higher  one.  He  therefore  found  Mr.  W.  and 
made  known  to  him  his  intention.  Here  was  a  diffi- 
culty for  Mr.  W.  and  party;  the  Count  wished  me  to 
go  to  England  and  remain  there,  and  to  be  himself  the 
chief,  if  not  the  sole  manager.  Mr  W.  thought  as  the 
Count  did,  that  the  inducement  which  the  latter  named 
would  be  a  greater  one  than  any  he  could  offer ;  and 
he  knew  that  the  Count  would  learn  who  and  where  I 
was,  and  who  were  my  relatives  in  their  world,  as  soon 
as  the  latter  were  spoken  to  about  the  management. 
Mr.  W.  and  party  therefore  abandoned  their  scheme. 

But  Mr.  W.  now  determined  to  endeavor  to  carry  out 
the  idea  he  had  formerly  suggested  of  developing  with 
my  aid  another  medium,  and  to  be  connected  with  the 
latter.  I  understand  that  neither  Mr.  H.  or  the  late 
railway  president  had  any  connection  with  this  new 
scheme  ;  but  the  latter  was  induced  to  postpone  speak- 
ing to  my  friends,  and  the  former  never  knew  them. 
It  was  the  intention  of  Mr.  W.  to  have  some  relative  or 
friend  of  the  person  to  be  made  a  medium  associated 
with  him ;  and  the  Count  agreed  to  aid  as  far  as  pos- 
sible. 

.  Mr.  B.  was  then  found,  and  the  proposal  to  have  his 
daughter  made  a  medium  submitted  to  him.  There  ap- 
pears to  have  been  no  particular  reason  for  selecting 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  107 

Miss  B.  for  the  experiment,  or  rather  for  now  making 
the  proposal  to  her  father,  other  than  those  already 
given.  Mr.  B.  thought  favorably  of  the  proposal ;  but 
the  difficulty  was  that  his  daughter  could  not  be  made 
such  a  medium  as  was  wanted  without  my  agency; 
and  if  developed  with  my  agency,  one  or  both  of  the 
two  females  with  me — Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  M.  — must  be 
placed  en  rapport  with  her.  Of  course  Mr.  W.  had  to 
state  this  fact ;  and  when  Mr.  B.  proposed  visiting  me 
to  see  the  females,  and  converse  with  me  about  them, 
Mr.  W.,  fearing  from  his  remarks  that  he  would  then 
decline  the  proposition,  refused  to  conduct  him  to  me, 
or  tell  him  where  I  was.  At  this  time  I  was  at  Long 
Branch,  and  the  pretended  visit  of  Mr.  B.  there  was 
merely  a  personation. 

Mr.  W.  next  made  the  proposition  to  others  of  his 
world,  but  met  with  the  same  difficulty.  In  these 
efforts,  and  in  further  attempts  at  negotiation  with  Mr. 
B.  the  time  was  passed  until  I  went  to  New  York  in 
the  autumn.  The  Count  waited  for  two  reasons  :  first, 
because,  he  did  not  know  where  I  was  or  who  were  my 
friends  in  his  world ;  and  second,  because  he  wished 
the  two  females  to  leave  me,  and  understood  the  easiest 
mode  of  accomplishing  this  would  be  the  development 
of  another  medium  for  them. 

My  name  had  been  given  Mr.  B.,  and  as  he  knew 
where  I  boarded  the  preceding  winter,  and  that  I  would 
probably  be  at  the  same  hotel  the  coming  one,  he  would 
have  found  me.  Mr.  W.,  therefore,  after  I  returned  to 
New  York,  concluded  to  conduct  him  to  me.  In  Oc- 
tober he  was  brought  to  my  room  at  the  hotel  in  New 
York.  He  was  told  that  he  had  been  personated  at  Long 


108  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

Branch,  and  therefore,  either  thoughtlessly  or  foolishly, 
stated  that  he  had  visited  me  there,  as  a  test  of  identity. 
Such  an  incident  as  he  next  gave,  and  which  at  the  time 
satisfied  me,  would  not  now,  unsupported  by  further 
evidence,  have  the  same  effect ;  for  this  incident  occur- 
red at  a  time  when,  as  I  am  informed,  one  of  the  other 
world  was  most  of  the  time  with  me ;  and  if  either  Mrs. 
S.  or  Miss  M.  had  then  been  with  me,  and  en  rapport, 
they  could  have  narrated  all  that  Mr.  B.  did. 

After  his  visit.  Mr.  B.  consented,  or  at  least  partially 
consented,  to  the  proposition  of  Mr.  W.  In  partial  ex- 
planation of  this  it  should  be  recollected  that  Mr.  B. 
was  to  be  placed  intimately  en  rapport  with  his  daugh- 
ter, a'nd  that  it  was  presumed  his  power  with  her  would 
be  greater  than  that  of  Mrs.  S.  ;  also  that,  if  so  desired, 
Mrs.  S.  could  be  removed.  The  reason  Mrs.  S.  must 
be  placed  en  rapport,  in  case  my  friends  would  not  con- 
sent that  she  should  remain  with  me,  was,  that  the  ne- 
cessary communications  through  me  could  not  be  made 
against  her  opposition. 

As  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  secure  the  concurrence 
and  influence  of  my  relatives  in  the  other  world,  the 
scheme — embracing  the  proposal  of  the  Count,  and  mak- 
ing a  medium  of  Miss  B. — was  then  submitted  to  my 
father,  who  assented  to  letting  me  decide  for  myself 
after  I  had  learned  the  facts.  But  on  submitting  it  to 
my  mother  and  sisters,  they,  or,  at  least,  my  mother  and 
the  sister  most  frequently  referred  to,  made  strenuous 
objections,  and  said  they  should  endeavor  to  prevent 
me  from  either  accepting  the  proposal  of  the  Count,  or 
assisting  in  the  development  of  another  medium.  It 
seems  that  to  neither  of  these  did  the  proposition  of  the 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  109 

Count  seem  so  visionary  and  impracticable  as  it  did  to 
me.  Its  success  would  mainly  depend  on  the  influence 
which  the  Count  and  others  of  his  world  might  be  able 
to  exert  through  me  in  case  I  withheld  the  knowledge 
of  the  former's  present  character. 

My  relatives  were  not  informed  where  I  was,  and  they 
thought  I  was  not  in  New  York ;  but  as  they  were  now 
advised  of  my  situation,  they  would  eventually  have 
found  me,  and  therefore  it  was  finally  decid  d  to  bring 
them.  Several  periods  had  been  named  within  which 
I  would  be  "relieved  ;  "  the  last  named  would  expire  on 
the  second  Monday  in  December,  and  Mr.  W.  concluded 
to  bring  my  relatives  on  that  day  ;  first,  however,  bring- 
ing the  Count  and  letting  him  submit  to  me  his  propo- 
sition. The  Count  was  brought  two  days  prior  to  that 
date.  I  was  told  in  the  morning  that  he  would  come 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  the  latter  hour 
it  was  represented  that  he  had  just  arrived  ;  but,  in  fact, 
when  I  was  informed  in  the  morning  of  the  proposed 
visit  he  was  present,  and  remained  with  me  all  day. 

The  plan  was  that  if  I  decided  to  go  to  England, 
Miss  B.  was  to  be  induced  by  her  father  to  accompany 
me,  with  some  lady  as  companion ;  and  this  seems  to 
have  suggested  to  Mr.  W.  a  very  silly  idea.  He  named 
a  lady  to  accompany  Miss  B.,  but  requested  me  to  sug- 
gest her  when  the  Count  came  as  being  my  own  selec- 
tion. The  Count  was  present  at  the  time,  and  the  idea 
was  to  show  him  that  I  was  not  naturally  given  to  de- 
ception. But,  as  I  knew  that  the  Count,  if  placed  en 
rapport  with  me,  could  read  my  mind,  and  thus  perceive 
that  the  selection  was  not  my  own,  the  device  was  a  very 
shallow  one.  The  second  test  as  to  my  honesty  made 


110  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

by  the  Count,  was  a  more  reliable  one.  for  at  the  mo- 
ment I  did  not  perceive  the  absurdity  of  the  proposed 
scheme.  But  the  idea  of  these  liars  thus  testing  my 
honesty  has  since  appeared  to  me  rather  fanny. 

Why  the  Count  chose  to  write  so  much  nonsense  it 
would  be  useless  to  conjecture;  the  story  he  told 
certainly  appeared  much  worse,  both  for  himself  and 
wife,  than  the  facts.  The  reason  he  did  not  make 
me,  at  the  first  sitting,  the  proposition  submitted  to  my 
relatives  was,  the  repugnance  evinced  towards  it  by  my 
mother  and  sister.  His  first  intention  on  coming  to  me 
was,  to  try  to  induce  me  to  go  to  England  and  remain 
a  few  years ;  but  after  the  first  sitting  he  decided  to  sub- 
mit the  original  proposition,  and  see  how  I  viewed  it 
The  absurd  proposal  made  at  the  first  sitting  that  I 
should  go  over  to  act  as  tutor  to  a  child  yet  unborn, 
seems  to  have  been  suggested  to  his  crazy  brain  by  the 
following  facts : — His  daughter,  the  legal  heiress,  is  mar- 
ried to  a  German,  and  is  living  in  Germany.  Her  hus- 
band's rank  and  position  there  are  such  that  he  would 
not  go  to  England  to  reside ;  and  the  Count,  with  oth- 
ers, thought  that  one  of  the  daughters'  sons  would  be 
made  the  heir,  and  be  educated  in  England.  As  for 
my  tutorship,  the  position  would  not  suit  me,  and  I 
would  not  suit  the  position.  The  Count  must  have 
known  at  least  the  latter  fact,  and  I  hardly  understand 
what  his  real  idea  was,  if,  indeed,  he  had  any  definite 
one. 

But  one  peculiarity  about  the  lying  of  these  people 
of  the  other  world  is,  that  they  lie  when  the  truth  would 
better  serve  their  purpose.  The  truth  as  to  the  illegiti- 
macy of  the  children  would,  for  the  Count,  have  ap- 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  Ill 

peared  better  than  the  falsehood ;  so  would  also  the 
real  reason  for  proposing  that  Miss  B.  should  accom- 
pany me  to  England ;  and  the  truth  about  this  tutor- 
ship, whatever  his  idea  may  have  been,  would  have 
better  served  his  purpose  than  the  idiotic  proposal  he 
made.  He  must  have  known,  if  he  knew  anything, 
that  these  and  other  falsehoods  written  by  him  would 
have  to  be  contradicted,  and  the  facts  given  before  I 
went  to  England ;  and  it  seems  strange,  especially  as  he 
knew  that  he  would  meet  with  opposition  from  some 
of  my  relatives,  that  he  should  not,  at  this  visit,  have 
tried  to  avoid  letting  me  know  that  he  was  such  an  in- 
veterate liar.  The  explanation  of  the  matter  must  be 
that  he  is  now  almost  an  idiot 

The  Count  had  an  object  in  writing  so  much,  which 
was  to  become  as  much  en  rapport  as  possible  before 
my  friends  were  brought.  Except  Miss  M.,  he  was  the 
first  that  Mrs.  S.  had  endeavored  to  place  intimately  en 
rapport  with  me.  She  hoped  that  if  the  Count  was  suc- 
cessful she  would  be  permitted  to  remain  with  me. 
The  fact  that  the  Count  was  the  first  visitor  who  com- 
municated with  me,  to  any  extent,  otherwise  than  as  a 
personator,  was  one  cause,  and  probably  the  main  one, 
for  my  being  so  strongly  impressed  that  the  writer  was 
the  person  he  represented  himself  to  be. 

On  the  second  Monday  in  December,  1864,  my  rel- 
atives were  brought ;  and  with  them  came  my  acquaint- 
ance the  late  railway  president,  who  until  that  time  had 
not  known  where  I  was.  In  giving  me  the  narrative 
up  to  this  date,  my  friends  have  been  obliged  to  balance 
the  contradictory  statements  of  liars,  and  partly  guess 
at  the  truth ;  but  as  the  narrative  appears  to  be  cohe- 


112  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

rent,  I  infer  that  it  must  be  nearly,  if  not  entirely,  accu- 
rate. 

How  Mr.  "W.  and  his  associates  expected  to  explain 
their  statement  that  I  would  be  "  relieved  "  this  day, 
which  meant  relieving  me  of  Miss  McCauley,  is  not  very 
clear ;  but  they  must  have  assumed  that  I  was  to  be 
kept  in  ignorance  of  a  portion  of  the  facts.  As  I  un- 
derstand the  matter,  the  party  believed,  as  my  friends 
did,  and  appear  still  to  believe,  that  if  I  had  gone  to 
England,  in  accordance  with  the  proposition  of  the 
Count,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  S.,  I  would  soon  have  been 
relieved  of  Miss  McCauley ;  and  if  another  medium  had 
been  developed,  I  would  have  been  relieved  of  Mrs.  S. 
also. 

"When  my  friends  came,  Mrs.  S.  insisted  on  an  agree- 
ment that  she  might  remain  with  me  in  case  another 
medium  was  not  developed  ;  and  as  my  friends  refused 
to  enter  into  such  an  agreement,  she  would  not  permit 
them  to  communicate  with  me.  The  writing  purporting 
to  be  by  my  father  and  mother  was,  as  I  supposed,  by 
Mrs.S. 

The  matter  was  discussed  until  I  went  to  bed ;  then 
my  friends  determined  to  make  an  attempt  to  place  one 
or  more  of  my  relatives  en  rapport  with  me.  In  my 
normal  condition,  this  could  not  have  been  effected ;  but 
it  was  thought  that  the  connection  of  Mrs.  3.  with  me 
made  it  possible.  This  attempt  caused  the  disturbances 
during  the  night 

The  result  of  the  night's  operations  caused  my  friends 
to  hope  that  my  mother  and  a  sister — the  one  who  was 
first  personated — might  soon  become  so  intimately  en 
rapport  with  me  that  Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  McCauley  could 


EKPLANATOKY  NARRATIVE.  113 

safely  be  removed.  It  appears  a  little  strange  that  this 
sister,  who  died  about  twenty-six  years  prior  to  this 
time,  was  a  closer  affinity — as  they -term  it — than  an- 
other sister  who  died  only  about  five  years  previous ; 
but  the  former  more  nearly  resembled  me  in  color  of 
the  hair  and  complexion. 

Miss  M.  was  at  once  removed  from  close  proximity 
to  me,  so  that  she  was  not  an  interference  ;  and  the  only 
reason  assigned  for  not  sooner  advising  me  of  this  fact 
is,  that  it  was  desired  to  prevent  the  concentration  of 
my  mind  on  Miss  McCauley.  Several  male  friends  re- 
mained constantly  with  me,  to  prevent  interference,  and 
also  to  give  their  advice  to  my  mother  and  sister.  The 
Count  was  permitted  to  remain  for  the  reason  that,  hav- 
ing become  en  rapport,  he  was  able,  and  did,  render  as- 
sistance. Why  he  chose  to  remain,- 1  do  not  clearly 
understand ;  he  may  have  believed  that  I  would  accept 
his  proposition,  but  it  is  probable  that  he  would  have 
remained  with  me  whether  he  had  any  definite  object  in 
view  or  not  The  explanation  of  this  first  night's  oc- 
currences given  the  next  day,  and  purporting  to  be  by 
the  Count,  was,  of  course,  by  Mrs.  S. 

Mrs.  S.  had  formerly  endeavored  to  make  me  be- 
lieve that  my  friends  visited  me  ;  but  from  the  time  they 
really  came,  it  was  her  policy  to  make  me  believe  the 
contrary,  and  she  asserted  that  they  were  unable  to  find 
me.  My  sitting  and  holding  my  hand  for  writing  did 
not  much  aid  my  mother  and  sister ;  that  is,  holding 
my  hand  for  this  purpose  did  not,  as  the  power  of  Mrs. 
S.  in  this  respect  was  much  greater  than  theirs.  But 
the  thinking,  while  seated  at  the  table,  of  my  mother  or 
sister  as  being  present,  did  greatly  aid  them,  and  there- 


114  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

fore  Mrs.  S.  used  various  expedients  to  prevent  the 
practice,  one  of  which,  was  the  personation  of  Mr.  B. 

As  the  name  of  Mr.  B.  and  his  daughter  had  been 
frequently  used,  and  I  bad  therefore  frequently  thought 
of  them,  Mrs.  S.  had  obtained  some  facts  concerning  the 
former  from  my  mind.  When  she  told  me  in  the  morn- 
ing that  Mr.  B.  would  be  brought  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  same  day,  and  that  I  might  test  his  identity  as  I 
pleased,  she  hoped  that  my  questions  would  be  such  as 
she  would  be  able  to  answer.  But  when  I  wrote  the 
series  of  questions,  she  found  that  she  could  not  answer 
one  of  them ;  and  therefore  subsequently  told  me  that 
Mr.  B.  could  not  come.  Afterward,  however,  she 
thought  that  she  had  obtained,  in  another  way,  answers 
to  the  first  two  questions  ;  and  at  the  sitting  which  had 
been  arranged — but  at  which  only  herself  wrote — said 
that  Mr.  B.  was  present 

The  first  two  questions  were,  as  to  the  number  of  the 
building  occupied  by  Mr.  B.,  and  the  name  of  his  suc- 
cessor. Two  of  the  facts  obtained  from  my  mind,  both 
by  Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  M.,  were,  an  approximately  cor- 
rect idea  of  the  location  of  the  building,  and  of  the  na- 
ture of  the  business.  Miss  M.,  who  remained  most  of 
the  time  in  my  vicinity,  and  who  still  hoped  that  an- 
other medium  would  be  developed,  on  being  told  by 
Mrs.  S.  what  the  questions  were,  went  in  search  of  some 
one  who  could  give  the  answers  to  these  two  questions. 
She  found  a  female  who  had  purchased  goods  of  the 
class  named,  at  a  store  which  she  thought  was  in  the 
locality  described ;  and  this  female  also  thought  she 
recollected  the  name  of  the  proprietor  and  the  number 
of  the  store.  These  items  were  given  by  Miss  M.  to 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  115 

Mrs.  S.,  who  made  of  the  difficulty  in  writing  an  excuse 
for  not  answering  the  other  questions. 

The  idea  here  occurred  to  me  that,  as  my  friends  did 
not  know  but  Miss  M.  might  procure  correct  informa- 
tion, they  should  either  have  prevented  her  from  going 
in  search  of  it,  or  from  communicating  to  Mrs.  S.  what 
she  had  received.  Whether,  if  communication  was  less 
difficult,  I  should  be  able  fully  to  comprehend  the  other 
world  and  its  inhabitants,  I  cannot  say  ;  but,  as  it  is,  I 
certainly  do  not  As  I  am  informed,  it  would  not  have 
been  impossible  to  prevent  Miss  M.  from  leaving,  or 
from  again  approaching  so  near  Mrs.  S.  as  to  be  abfe  to 
communicate  her  information.  But  either  course  would 
have  been  less  feasible  than  with  us ;  and  the  matter 
was  thought  to  be  of  no  great  importance,  as  I  should 
soon  have  been  undeceived.  . 

The  name  of  Mr.  W.  was  given  for  the  first  time  at 
this  sitting.  It  was  given  by  Mrs.  S.,  who  at  this  time 
feared  that  my  friends  would  succeed,  and  that  she 
would  have  to  leave  me ;  and  her  object  in  giving  the 
name  was  to  ascertain  if  I  would  be  disposed  to  aid  in 
developing  a  medium  to  be  under  the  management  of 
Mr.  W.  The  proposal  to  give  me  the  name,  or  title,  of 
the  father  of  the  illegitimate  children  of  the  Count's 
wife  was  also  by  Mrs.  S.  Both  the  Count  and  Mr.  W. 
were  present,  but  neither  was  permitted  to  communi- 
cate with  me. 

My  discovery,  previous  to  this  date,  of  the  influence 
which  Mrs.  S.,  alias  Miss  Allen,  was  able  to  exert  upon 
my  mind,  was  owing  to  the  counteracting  influence  of 
my  mother  and  sister.  I  have  said  that  my  sensations 
on  the  evening  after  the  above  sitting  were,  that  a  foreign 


116  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

influence  was  being  exerted  to  induce  belief  in  state- 
ments which  my  judgment  pronounced  false.  But  the 
truth  is  that  the  moment  Mrs.  S.  commenced  exerting 
her  influence,  my  mother  and  sister  commenced  exerting 
theirs ;  and  as  both  opposing  influences  could  not  have 
prevailed  at  the  same  instant,  my  sensations  must  have 
deceived  me  on  this  point.  These  influences  were  only 
temporary ;  and,  in  any  event,  my  judgment  would 
ultimately  have  pronounced  the  statements  false. 

As  my  mother  and  sister  were  gaining  power,  and 
Mrs.  S.  had,  as  she  now  thought,  failed  in  her  efforts  to 
induce  me  to  discontinue  my  sittings,  she  concluded  to 
permit  my  father  to  communicate  with  me ;  but  this 
conclusion  must  have  been  based  upon  the  belief  that 
she  could  induce  him  to  conceal  the  facts  relative  to  her. 
My  father  was  less  opposed  to  the  proposition  of  the 
Count  and  the  plan  for  developing  another  medium  than 
my  mother  and  this  sister ;  or,  more  properly,  he  was 
not,  under  existing  circumstances,  at  all  opposed  to 
either.  What  purported  to  be  the  confession  of  Annie 
Morford,  was  in  furtherance  of  a  rather  imperfectly  de- 
fined scheme  of  Mrs.  S.  to  have  her  past  connection  with 
me  concealed.  But  as  she  failed  to  effect  any  arrange- 
ment during  the  night,  in  the  morning  she  again  asserted 
that  the  Count  had  visited  me — which  she  had  contra- 
dicted in  the  confession  of  the  previous  evening — and 
refused  to  let  my  father  communicate. 

Mrs.  S.  perceived  that  the  only  hold  she  had  on  my 
mind  for  inducing  belief  in  her  connection  with  any 
scheme,  was  the  fact  that  I  was  not  entirely  convinced 
the  Count  had  never  communicated  with  me.  In  ask- 
ing for  three  days  more  of  time  for  the  party  to  make 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  117 

an  arrangement,  her  idea  was  that  she  .might,  in  that 
time,  effect  one  for  herself;  for  there  was  a  difference  of 
opinion  with  the  advisers  surroundi  g  me  as  to  what 
was  the  best  course  under  the  circumstances.  Not  being 
able  to  effect  any  arrangement  during  the  three  days, 
she  still  refused  to  let  any  one  communicate  with  me. 

When,  on  the  next  Sunday  eveujpg,  I  sat  for  the  pur- 
pose of  learning  something  from  the  female  who  ap- 
peared to  be  opposing  the  one  still  calling  herself  Miss 
Allen,  the  dread,  or  horror  I  experienced  was  caused  by 
my  mother  and  sister.  The  one  who  then  wrote  as  the 
opposing  party  was  Mrs.  S.  ;  and  although  the  descrip- 
tion given  did  not  at  all  resemble  that  of  Miss  Allen  or 
Mrs.  Arnold,  nor  the  appearance  of  Mrs.  S.  when  in  our 
world,  yet  my  mother  and  sister  feared  that  the  writing 
might  increase  the  power  of  Mrs.  S.,  and  created  the 
dread  to  make  me  stop.  As  I  understand  the  matter, 
when  all  three  were  exerting  their  power,  the  writing, 
considered  by  itself— or  assuming  that  I  did  not  think 
of  any  one  as  performing  it — increased  the  power  of 
Mrs.  S. ;  or,  at  least,  did  not  diminish  it,  nor  increase 
that  of  my  mother  and  sister.  It  was  the  thinking  of 
the  latter  two  which  increased  their  power;  and  even 
thinking  of  my  father  as  present  did,  through  the  exer- 
tion of  his  will,  increase  the  rapport  of  my  mother  and 
sister  with  me — a  mysterious  operation  which  I  confess 
I  do  not  fully  understand. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  belief  I  arrived  at  about 
this  time  that  my  friends  in  the  other  world  might  not 
know  of  my  situation  or  where  I  was,  would  have  been 
correct  several  months  previous ;  but  it  is  doubtful  if 
visiting  other  mediums  would  have  apprised  them  of  the 


118  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

facts.  When,  on  my  return  from  Trenton  in  the  suc- 
ceeding autumn,  I  did  visit  other  mediums,  my  friends 
made  little  effort  to  have  me  learn  the  truth,  knowing 
that  such  efforts  would  be  useless. 

As  stated  in  the  preceding  narrative,  after  visiting 
these  mediums  without  any  result,  I  decided  to  endeavor 
to  divert  my  mind*from  the  subject,  and  to  forget,  as 
far  as  possible,  that  invisible  beings  were  with  me.  This 
was  what  Mrs.  S.  had  been  aiming  at ;  and  my  mother 
and  sister,  finding  that  they  could  not  by  any  ordinary 
efforts  cause  me  to  think  of  them,  commenced  extraor- 
dinary efforts  on  the  night  of  the  23d  of  November, 
as  soon  as  I  went  to  bed.  And  as  they  perceived  that 
their  power  was  very  much  increased  by  these  efforts, 
they  renewed  them  every  night  for  a  week  or  more ; 
and,  in  fact,  extraordinary  efforts,  with  occasional  re- 
laxations to  permit  me  to  sleep  more  soundly,  were  con- 
tinued until  my  mother  had  identified  herself.  The 
diminution  in  the  apparent  effect  upon  my  brain  was 
partly  owing  to  the  increase  of  the  power,  or  rapport, 
of  my  mother  and  sister ;  but  partly,  also,  to  the  fact 
that  they  were  obliged  to  relax  their  efforts  in  order 
that  I  might  rest  better  at  night. 

The  writing  about  the  first  of  February  (1866),  pur- 
porting to  be  by  the  opposing  female,  wa^  by  Mrs.  S. 
It  was  extremely  difficult  for  her  to  write  a  word  at  this 
time,  as  the  power  of  my  mother  and  sister  had  much 
increased,  and  I  did  not  think  of  Miss  Allen  as  the  writer. 
Her  idea  in  writing  the  sentence,  "  Because  they  are  so 
much  better  than  you,"  in  reply  to  my  question  as  to 
why  my  friends  could  not  communicate  with  me,  was, 
of  course,  to  make  me  believe  that  all  efforts  to  get  com- 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  119 

munieations  direct  from  them  would  be  hopeless;  for 
she  perceived  that  I  had  a  strong  impression  they  were 
present 

"When  I  sat  down  on  Sunday,  May  6,  1866,  to  en- 
deavor to  get  a  communication  from  my  mother,  such 
power  had  been  gained  that  she,  with  the  aid  of  my 
sister,  was  able  to  identify  herself,  though  with  great 
difficulty. 

When,  subsequently,  I  undertook  the  task  of  procur- 
ing sufficient  information  to  enable  me  to  write  a  book 
upon  the  subject,  Mrs.  S.  sometimes  assisted,  and  some- 
times opposed.  She  was  told,  and  believed,  that  if  I 
gave  a  correct  explanation  of  the  phenomena,  the  book 
would  gain  credence,  and  the  author  become  known, 
even  if  the  name  was  not  given.  And  as  the  same  plan 
was  stated  in  the  former  work  as  in  this  for  the  devel- 
opment of  another  medium  of  a  higher  order  than  the 
present  ones,  she  believed  that  I  would  be  solicited  by 
persons  of  our  world  to  aid  in  the  development  of  one, 
with  whom  she  might  manage  to  be  connected.  Her 
intention  was  that  the  explanatory  narrative  should  be 
so  written  as  to  produce  this  result.  As  published, 
however,  it  differed  very  little  from  the  present  one. 

Mrs.  S.  would  not  consent  that  her  name  should  be 
given  me,  and  my  friends  did  not  think  it  advisable  to 
give  it,  fearing  that  if  I  was  aware  of  her  presence  her 
power  would  be  increased.  The  name  of  Miss  M.  as 
being  that  of  the  one  assisting,  was  given  by  Mrs.  S., 
apparently  without  any  definite  purpose. 

In  order  to  secure  the  assistance  of  Mrs.  S.  it  was 
necessary  sometimes  to  permit  her  to  give  her  own 
statements. ;  and  therefore  the  explanatory  narrative  as 


120  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

first  written  was  far  from  correct  It  was  not  the  in- 
tention of  my  friends  to  permit  its  publication  in  that 
form ;  and,  in  fact,  while  Mrs.  S.  wished  the  narrative 
to  be  so  written  as  to  produce  the  development  of  an- 
other medium,  my  mother  and  sister  were  desirous  that 
it  should  discourage  any  such  attempt 

When  I  attempted  to  have  the  narrative  corrected,  I 
only  endeavored  to  get  corrections  of  such  statements 
as  appeared  to  me  altogether  improbable  or  incoherent ; 
and  therefore  all  the  errors  were  not  corrected ;  though, 
with  the  exception  of  the  idea  that  it  was  physically 
impossible  to  remove  the  females,  the  following  is  the 
only  one  of  any  importance  that  was  published : 

The  explanation  of  the  attempt  to  give  the  number 
of  the  store  lately  occupied  by  Mr.  B.,  and  the  name  of 
his  successor,  was,  that  having,  as  was  thought  obtained 
from  my  mind  a  correct  idea  of  the  location  of  the  store 
and  nature  of  the  business,  one  of  the  females  went  down 
Broadway  and  found  such  a  store  in  what  she  thought  was 
the  location  of  that  occupied  by  Mr.  B.,and  read  the 
name,  and,  as  she  thought,  the  number  over  the  store ; 
that  the  error  in  writing  the  name  found  was  owing  to 
the  interference  of  my  friends ;  and  that  the  error  of 
giving  the  number  of  the  adjoining  store  was  owing  to 
the  facts  that  this  number  was  placed  near  the  end 
of  the  sign  (over  the  store  thought  to  be  the  correct 
one),  while  the  correct  number  was  partly  hidden  by  the 
sign. 

The  latter  facts  were  obtained  from  my  mind,  as  I 
ascertained  them  on  looking  for  the  number  given  the 
day  following  the  attempt  at  the  personation.  At  the 
time,  the  explanation  did  not  seem  to  me  improbable ; 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  121 

but,  as  ,now  informed,  those  of  the  other  world  cannot 
distinguish  the  colors  of  ours,  and  therefore  cannot  read 
our  painted  signs  or  numbers.  The  explanation  first 
given  shows  how  aimlessly  those  of  the  other  world  will 
lie ;  for  Mrs.  S.  could  have  had  no  definite  object  in 
view  in  giving  such  a  statement 


CHAPTEE  IY. 

EXPLANATION  OF  INTRODUCTORY  NARRATIVE 
CONCLUDED. 

AFTER  the  completion  of  th,e  former  work,  the  efforts 
of  my  friends  were  directed  towards  the  removal  of 
Miss  McCauley ;  for  which  purpose  special  attempts 
were  made  to  place  my  sister  intimately  en  rapport 
Mi's.  S.  was  induced  at  times,  and  to  a  certain  extent,  to 
assist,  by  the  assurance  that  another  medium  would  be 
developed.  But  the  difficulty  here  was,  that  she  knew 
my  mother  and  sister  would  oppose  the  development 
of  another  medium;  and  she  also  knew  that  if  Miss 
McCauley  was  removed,  her  own  removal  would  be  less 
difficult  Consequently  her  co-operation  never  was 
very  hearty;  and  she  constantly  aimed  at  increasing, 
or,  at  least,  at  preventing  the  diminution  of  her  own 
power. 

In  a  short  time  my  sister  became  able  to  converse 
orally  with  me,  but  only  by  the  exertion  of  the  will  of 
Mrs.  S. ;  and  she  was  obliged  to  agree  to  say  nothing 
thut  Mrs.  S.  objected  to. 

No  explanation  of  further  occurrences  is  required 
until  we  come  to  those  in  the  spring  of  1869.  Before 
this  time,  my  friends  had  become  convinced  that  it 
would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  remove  Miss 


EXPLANATORY  NABRATIVB.  123 

McCauley  without  the  hearty  co-operation  of  Mrs.  S. ; 
and  the  question  was,  how  to  secure  this.  My  mother 
and  sister  were  still  opposed  to  the  development  of  an- 
other medium  ;  but  it  was  finally  decided  that  the  name 
of  Mrs.  S.  should  be  given  me,  and  that  I  should  be 
told  the  facts  relative  to  her,  in  order  to  ascertain  how  I 
would  feel  upon  the  subject  Of  course,  I  could  not 
agree  to  any  such  plan  until  I  understood  all  the  facts 
bearing  upon  the  case ;  and  I  insisted  that  Miss  McCau- 
ley should  first  be  removed,  so  that  communication 
might  be  less  difficult,  and  I  could  get  the  advice  of 
those  upon  whose  judgment  I  could  place  reliance;  for 
I  supposed  that  there  must  be  some  such  in  the  other 
world. 

The  agreement  under  which  I  went  to  England,  it 
will  be  recollected,  conceded  the  latter  point ;  I  was  first 
to  be  relieved  of  Miss  McCauley,  and  then,  after  taking 
the  advice  of  those  I  thought  most  competent  to  give 
it,  to  decide  whether  I  would  aid  in  the  development  of 
another  medium.  As  I  have  said  in  the  'preceding  nar- 
rative, I  cannot  give  the  reasons  advanced  why  I  should 
go  to  England  before  the  removal  of  Miss  McCauley, 
an  operation  which  would  require  some  time.  Some 
of  the  reasons  urged  by  the  Count  were  frivolous ;  bat 
the  main  one,  the  one  upon  which  I  acted,  and  which 
had  reference  solely  to  my  being  relieved  as  soon  as 
possible  of  the  presence  of  Miss  McCauley  and  Mrs.  S., 
was,  as  I  am  now  informed,  a  valid  one. 

Until  I  came  to  this  point  in  the  narrative,  I  had  sup- 
posed that  the  Count,  in  this  scheme,  deceived  all  my 
friends;  and  it  has  been  to  me  a  mystery  why,  such 
boing  the  fact,  he  was  permitted  to  remain  with  me. 


124  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

But  I  now  learn  that  such  was  not  the  fact  It  appears 
that  mj  fruitless  voyage  to  England  was  the  result  of, 
what  I  consider,  a  childish  scheme  formed  by  some  of 
my  professed  friends — persons  of  more  sense  when  in 
our  world  than  this  scheme  indicates. 

At  this  time  my  mother  and  sister  were  so  much  en 
rapport  with  me  that  nothing  could  be  done  without 
their  co-operation ;  and,  although  they  were  anxious 
that  the  two  females  should  be  removed,  they  would  not 
consent  to  the  only  practicable  plan  for  accomplishing 
this,  namely,  the  development  of  another  medium.* 
How  Mrs.  S.  was  induced  to  believe  that  I  would  aid 
in  this  after  the  removal  of  Miss  McCauley,  I  do  not 
quite  understand,  but  it  seems  that  she  did  so  believe. 
My  mother  and  sister,  however,  consented  to  advise  me 
to  go  to  England  under  the  agreement  entered  into,  be- 
cause they  believed  that  I  would  not  aid  in  the  matter ; 
and  they  intended  to  exert  their  influence  to  prevent 
my  doing  so.  The  Count,  it  seems,  had  no  desire  to 
make  known  the  fraud  he  had  committed,  unless  by  do- 
ing so  he  could  become  connected  with  a  medium ;  and 
he  also  thought  it  doubtful  whether  I  would  aid  in  de- 
veloping another ;  besides,  it  was  far  from  certain  that 
one  could  be  developed  through  whom  he  could  com- 
municate. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  scheme  was  formed  to 
induce  me  to  go  to  England.  My  male  friends  under- 
stood that  the  Count  would  not  carry  out  his  part  of  the 
plan  agreed  upon  unless  his  original  proposition  was 

*  It  will,  of  course,  be  understood  that  I  do  not  state  this  matter 
precisely  as  given  me  by  my  sister,  but  state  the  facts,  so  far  as 
given,  in  my  own  language. 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  126 

accepted  by  me ;  but  they  deemed  it  advisable,  under 
the  circumstances,  that  it  should  be  accepted ;  and  be- 
lieved that  if  I  went  to  England,  my  mother  and  sister, 
rather  than  have  me  return  disappointed,  would  cease 
their  opposition,  or,  at  least,  would  permit  all  the  facts 
bearing  upon  the  case  to  be  stated,  and  let  me  decide  for 
myself. 

If  the  Count's  proposition  had  been  accepted  by  me, 
Mrs.  S.  would,  probably,  have  assisted  in  the  removal 
of  Miss  McCauley,  for  the  same  reason  that  she  would 
have  done  so  under  the  agreement  entered  into ;  that 
part  of  the  plan  would  not  have  been  changed.  And  if, 
after  the  removal  of  Miss  McCauley,  I  declined  to  aid 
in  the  development  of  another  medium,  the  removal  of 
Mrs.  S.  could  have  been  effected ;  though  if  she  stopped 
talking,  and  did  not  in  any  way  annoy  me,  it  would 
have  been  a  matter  of  indifference  to  me  whether  she 
was  removed  or  not 

The  result  of  the  scheme  was  about  such  as  might 
have  been  expected.  When  my  mother  and  sister,  after 
I  had  sailed  for  England,  were  informed  that  the  Count 
would  not  carry  out  his  part  of  the  plan  agreed  upon 
unless  his  original  proposition  was  accepted,  and  per- 
ceived how  they  had  been  entrapped  into  advising  me  to 
go  under  false  pretences,  they  were,  of  course,  very  indig- 
nant ;  and  my  mother,  especially,  had  such  a  repugnance 
to  this  proposal  that  she  was  inclined  to  prevent,  if 
possible,  any  communication  with  the  parties  I  went  over 
to  visit 

But  Mrs.  S.  still  wished  to  bring  about  such  a  meet- 
ing, hoping  that  if  this  was  effected  something  would  be 
agreed  upon.  When  I  sat  down  in  London  for  the  letter 


126  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

to  be  written,  as  agreed  upon,  Mrs.  S.,  finding  that  the 
Count  would  not  write  or  dictate  one,  attempted  at  each 
sitting  to  write  one  herself  which  I  would  believe 
genuine  and  send,  hoping  that  this  would  lead  to  an 
interview ;  though  she  could  have  had  no  definite  idea 
as  to  any  result  As  she  failed  at  the  first  sitting  to 
imitate  the  Count's  style,  at  the  second  she  told 
me  his  mother-in-law  would  write,  thinking  she  might 
thus  succeed  in  deceiving  me.  These  attempts  were,  of 
course,  very  childish.  Even  if  there  had  been  no  inter- 
ference, she  could  not  have  written  a  letter  which  would 
have  deceived  me ;  if  I  had  been  deceived,  my  mother 
or  sister  could  have  undeceived  me  before  the  letter  was 
sent ;  and  «ven  if  it  had  been  sent,  as  neither  the  Count 
or  the  mother-in-law  would  have  been  identified,  it 
would  have  received  no  attention. 

Of  course  all  efforts  to  effect  an  arrangement  did  not 
cease  when  I  left  London ;  and  when,  in  Paris,  Mrs.  S. 
stated  that  the  letter  would  be  written  at  some  point  in 
my  travels,  she  hoped  it  would  be  done.  The  object  in 
telling  me  this  was  to  prevent  me  from  making  any  ar- 
rangement to  sail  from  a  French  port  for  homa  If  the 
letter  had  been  written,  I  should  have  retained  it  until  I 
returned  to  England ;  but  my  mother,  fearing  the  Count 
might  conclude  to  write,  and  that  I  would  at  once  mail 
the  letter,  made  extraordinary  efforts  in  the  following 
night  to  give  me  the  brief  communication  stated  in  the 
preceding  narrative. 

The  suspicions  of  my  mother  and  sister  were  so  aroused 
by  the  discovery  of  the  scheme  described,  that,  as  I 
understand  the  matter,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to 
have  carried  out  the  plan  agreed  upon,  even  if  the  Count 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  127 

had  consented  to  assist  The  course  taken  by  my 
mother  and  sister  was,  as  concerns  me,  a  very  strange 
one;  and  I  find  it  difficult  to  understand  the  change 
individuals  undergo  on  passing  into  the  other  world. 
The  whole  matter  should,  of  course,  have  been  submitted 
for  my  decision.  If  I  had  known  all  the  facts,  I  should, 
probably,  have  accepted  the  proposition  of  the  Count ; 
although  under  ordinary  circumstances  I  would  not  have 
done  so.  I  have  stated  that  Mr.  W.  and  party  thought 
it  an  inducement  with  which  they  could  not  hope  to 
compete  successfully ;  but  it  did  not  appear  to  me  so 
very  attractive,  I  still  think  it  was  a  visionary  and  im- 
practicable scheme ;  but  if  I  had  entered  into  it,  whether 
it  failed  or  not,  it  would  not  have  interfered  with  the 
plan  upon  which  I  went  over. 

The  explanation  of  the  difficulty  given  by  my  sister 
after  I  had  engaged  my  passage  home  was  not  a  full  one, 
and  therefore  did  not  make  the  matter  clear  to  me.  It 
appears,  however,  that  while  my  mother's  main  objec- 
tion to  the  proposition  of  the  Count  was  the  association 
in  our  world  proposed,  that  of  my  sister  had  reference 
more  particularly  to  my  serving  as  a  medium  for  the 
Count  and  his  friends.  The  truth  appears  to  be  that 
the  objections  of  my  sister  to  my  serving  as  a  medium 
for  this  party,  or  developing  another  for  them,  were  of 
a  religious,  or,  more  correctly,  sectarian  character;  for 
there  are  different  religious  views  in  the  other  world  as 
in  ours,  and  she  feared  that  false  doctrines  would  be 
promulgated. 

At  the  sitting  when  my  sister  gave  the  explanation 
referred  to,  the  Count  stated  that  his  story  about  the 
illegitimacy  of  his  wife's  children  was  a  fiction  ;  for  he 


128  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

feared  that  I  would  return  so  indignant  at  his  deception 
that  I  would  make  the  facts  known  if  I  continued  to 
believe  them.  It  would,  of  course,  have  been  very  silly 
to  have  stated  these  facts,  even  if  there  was  any  incen 
tive  for  doing  so,  as  no  one  would  have  believed  me. 

The  fact  that  my  male  friends,  or  professed  friends, 
connived  at  the  deception  of  the  Count,  explains  why 
he  was  not  removed,  as  my  mother  and  sister  had  not 
power  to  remove  him  ;  but  why  he  should  have  desired 
to  remain  with  me  I  cannot  understand. 

I  have  not  attempted  to  learn  what  discussions  took 
place  after  my  return  from  England,  but  it  was  finally 
decided  to  attempt  the  removal  of  Miss  McCauley  ;  and 
I  was  then,  for  the  first  time,  told  my  true  situation. 
It  was  thought  the  co-operation  of  Mrs.  S.  would  be  had, 
as  there  appeared  to  be  no  other  way  of  getting  another 
medium  developed,  or  of  inducing  me  to  act  as  such, 
than  this  removal. 

On  the  night  of  January  26  (1870),  the  operation  was 
commenced,  but  suspended  when  the  sinking  of  my 
pulse  was  perceived.  On  after  consultation,  it  was 
thought  the  operation  might  safely  have  been  performed, 
and  it  was  decided  to  make  another  trial.  The  second 
experiment  was  carried  farther  than  the  first ;  and,  for 
a  moment,  there  were  apprehensions  that  it  had  been 
carried  too  far.  It  was  the  Count  who  said,  "You 
are  going,  sir,"  and  he  thought,  or  said  he  did,  that  I 
was  dying.  I  recovered  so  quickly,  however,  that  it 
was  still  thought  the  operation  might  have  been  com- 
pleted; and  some  of  the  party  advised  that  another  trial 
should  be  made.  I  was  then  told  that  the  removal  of 
the  two  females  (it  will  be  recollected  that  at  this  time 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  129 

I  thought  there  were  two  besides  Mrs.  S.)  had  been  ef- 
fected, and  that  Mrs.  S.  was  the  one  still  opposing  my 
friends. 

It  appears  that  in  consequence  of  the  effect  of  the 
first  trial,  my  imagination,  or  thinking  during  this  sec- 
ond one  of  what  the  result  might  be,  had  such  an  inj  ti- 
rious  effect  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  take  this 
coursa  The  trouble,  so  far  as  I  could  judge  at  the 
time,  was  in  the  action  of  my  heart ;  and  it  was  the  un- 
avoidable direction  of  my  mind  to  the  action  of  this  or- 
gan which  increased  the  difficulty.  By  telling  me  that 
the  removal  of  Miss  McCauley,  the  most  dangerous  one, 
had  been  effected,  and  that  the  removal  of  Mrs.  S.  would 
affect  only  my  head,  it  was  hoped  to  avoid  this  inju- 
rious operation  of  my  mind.  It  was  also  thought  the 
effect  on  my  mind,  and  consequently  its  injurious  ac- 
tion, would  be  less  in  daylight  than  in  darkness ;  and  it 
was  therefore  decided  to  make  the  next  attempt  in  the 
morning. 

All  these  directions  were  given  by  persons  who  had 
been  physicians  in  our  world  ;  and  the  conversation 
with  me  was  by  the  Count  In  order  that  my  mother 
or  sister  should  talk  with  me,  certain  changes  were  ne- 
cessary which  during  an  operation  of  this  kind  could  not 
safely  be  made  ;  the  Count  therefore  was  chosen  to  do 
the  necessary  talking. 

But  during  the  night  preceding  the  morning  fixed 
upon  for  the  third  trial,  it  was  decided  to  postpone  it 
The  only  explanation  of  the  Count's  statement  in  the 
morning  that  Mrs.  S.  was  removed,  and  that,  conse- 
quently, I  was  relieved  of  all  three  of  the  females,  is, 
that  as  I  had  been  told  her  removal  would  have  little 


130  MODEHN  DIABOLISM. 

effect  upon  me,  no  plausible  reason  could  be  given  for 
the  postponement :  and  he  thought  I  could  be  made  to 
believe  that  I  was  relieved  until  Miss  McCauley  would 
be  removed,  which  he  supposed  could  soon  be  effected. 
I  think  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  made  me 
believe  this  for  any  length  of  time,  even  if  Mrs.  S.  had 
been  willing  that  I  should  believe  it,  for  I  should  soon 
have  perceived  there  was  at  least  one  opposing  my 
mother  and  sister.  But  Mrs.  S.  feared  that  if  I  contin- 
ued to  believe  for  any  considerable  length  of  time  that 
she  was  removed,  her  rapport  would  be  lessened ;  and 
she  therefore  commenced  talking  almost  immediately 
after  the  Count  told  me  she  was  removed. 

It  was  believed  by  the  party,  including  the  physicians, 
that  the  removal  of  Miss  McCauley  could  be  effected 
within  less  than  one  year  from  that  time  ;  and  therefore 
my  mother,  when  I  subsequently  made  the  inquiry, 
named  that  period. 

The  assertions  subsequently  made  that  I  would  be  "  re- 
lieved "  before  the  close  of  the  year  1870  were,  with  the 
exception  of  that  made  on  the  last  day  of  the  year,  by 
Mrs.  S. ;  though  my  friends  hoped  such  would  be  the 
fact  The  operation  was  postponed  from  time  to  time 
until  the  last  day  of  the  year  1870  had  arrived ;  then, 
as  the  assertions  of  Mrs.  S.  had  not  been  contradicted, 
and  I  had  consequently  formed  the  hope  of  being  re- 
lieved before  the  close  of  the  year,  it  was  decided  to 
make  the  attempt  during  the  coming  night.  The  inten- 
tion at  this  time  was,  to  make  the  experiment  while  I 
was  asleep,  and  if  that  appeared  to  be  an  unfavorable 
time,  to  postpone  the  operation  until  I  awoke  in  the 
morning. 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  131 

In  the  afternoon  of  December  31st  nay  sister  informed 
me  that  it  was  intended  to  make  the  removal  during  the 
coming  night ;  and  told  me  to  recollect  that  she  would 
be  unable  again  to  speak  to  me  until  after  the  operation 
had  been  performed.  This  admonition  was  partly  in 
consequence  of  what  the  Count  had  spoken  during  the 
last  attempt  His  assertion  that  I  was  "  going,"  or  dy- 
ing, was  injudicious ;  and  my  sister  did  not  know  what 
he  or  Mrs.  S.  might  say  to  me  during  the  coming  oper- 
ation. 

I  am  unable  to  give  an  explanation  of  the  course  of 
Mrs.  S.  which  will  appear  a  rational  one ;  for  it  was  as 
variable  as  that  of  a  vicious  child.  It  will  be  under- 
stood that  it  was  the  exertion  of  her  will  that  was  re- 
quired, not  any  physical  effort  Her  will  was  favorably 
exerted  during  the  former  attempts ;  but  since  that  time 
her  course  had  been  inconstant  and  unreliable ;  which 
is  one  reason  why  a  third  attempt  was  not  earlier  made. 
She  promised  her  assistance  on  this  occasion;  but  at 
the  last  moment  insisted  that  an  agreement  should  be 
entered  into,  either  that  she  might  remain  with  me,  or 
that  another  medium  should  be  developed  My  mother 
and  sister  would  concede  neither  of  these  points,  and 
therefore  the  operation  was  again  necessarily  postponed. 
At  the  moment  of  my  awaking  in  the  morning,  my  sis- 
ter succeeded  in  telling  me  that  the  removal  had  not 
been  effected ;  but  the  subsequent  talking  was  by  Mrs. 
S.  -The  latter,  personating  my  sister,  attempted  to  make 
me  believe  the  removal  had  been  made,  and  that  she 
was  the  one  now  acting  in  opposition  to  my  mother  and 
sister — an  idea  which  she  probably  got  from  the  Count's 
former  statement  to  the  same  effect — hoping  some  ar- 


132  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

rangement  would  be  made,  and  that  the  removal  of 
Miss  McCauley  would  be  effected  without  my  learning 
she  had  caused  the  postponement  Failing  in  this,  the 
Count  said  the  removal  was  an  impossibility. 

What  the  Count  really  believed  was,  probably,  that 
the  removal  could  not  be  effected  without  the  co-oper- 
ation of  Mrs.  S. ;  and  the  statement  was  made  for  the 
purpose  of  preparing  me  for  receiving  some  kind  of  a 
proposal.  Of  course,  the  efforts  made  subsequent  to 
my  return  from  England,  had  tended  to  confirm  my 
male  friends  in  the  opinion  that  the  Count's  proposition 
should  have  been  accepted ;  and  the  latter  now  hoped 
it  would  be. 

But  my  mother  and  sister  would  yield  nothing ;  they 
would  not  even  consent  that  the  matter  should  be  left 
to  my  decision.  Mrs.  S.  was  therefore  told  by  my  male 
friends  that  if  she  did  not  assist,  the  next  move  would 
be  her  removal.  She  then  promised  her  assistance ; 
but  it  was  deemed  advisable  that,  before  again  attempt- 
ing the  operation,  my  mother  and  sister  should,  if  pos- 
sible, gain  such  control  that  the  removal  could  be  ef- 
fected with  safety,  even  if  at  the  time  Mrs.  S.  did  not 
assist  It  was  still  hoped  this  might  be  done  within 
the  period  first  named  by  my  mother ;  that  is,  some  of 
the  male  advisers  so  thought,  others  did  not 

The  course  of  Mrs.  S.  was  subsequently  about  the 
same  as  before ;  she,  ostensibly  at  least,  aided  my  mother 
and  sister,  but  constantly  aimed  at  increasing  her  own 
power.  The  extraordinary  efforts  of  my  mother  and 
pister,  after  the  expiration  of  the  year  first  named,  were 
the  cause  of  the  annoyances  I  suffered  at  night ;  and 
when  the  former  in  the  night  said,  "  Bear  it  one  month 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  138 

longer,"  it  was  her  intention  that  if  at  the  expiration  of 
that  period  they  were  unable  to  remove  Miss  McCauley, 
the  efforts  should  cease.  The  efforts  did  then  cease  for 
awhile,  and  negotiations  were  entered  into. 

The  plan  then  agreed  upon  was  somewhat  of  a  com- 
promise with  Mrs.  S. ;  but,  as  it  was  soon  abandoned,  it 
is  not  necessary  to  give  a  full  explanation.  It  involved 
the  attempt  to  place  the  mother-in-law  of  the  Count  in- 
timately en  rapport  with  me.  This  was  found  to  be  im- 
practicable; the  Duchess — her  late  title — and  myself 
are  not,  as  they  term  it,  affinities. 

My  mother  and  sister  then  renewed  their  former  ef- 
forts; but,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  without  any  reasonable 
prospect  of  success.  The  efforts  to  place  the  Duchess 
en  rapport  with  me  caused  me  little  annoyance,  because, 
not  being  measures  tending  to  the  immediate  removal 
of  Miss  McCauley,  they  were  less  violent ;  but  when  my 
mother  and  sister  renewed  their  former  efforts,  the  dis- 
turbances at  night  were  renewed. 

They  did  not  acquire  such  control  that  the  removal 
of  Miss  McCauley  could  safely  be  effected  without 
the  assistance  of  Mrs.  S.  at  the  time  of  the  operation. 
But  my  mother,  apparently  without  any  good  reason, 
again  believed  in  the  promise  of  Mrs.  S.  that  her  assist- 
ance would  be  given ;  and  therefore,  near  the  close  of 
the  year  18/1,  told  me  I  would  soon  be  relieved. 

The  last  night  of  this  year  was  not  definitely  decided 
upon,  as  had  been  that  of  the  former  year,  as  the  time 
for  performing  the  operation ;  for  most  of  my  friends 
had  no  confidence  in  the  promises  of  Mrs.  S.  But  the 
latter  assured  me  when  I  went  to  bed  on  this  night,  that 
Miss  McCauley  would  be  removed  during  the  night ; 


134  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

and  as  it  was  thought  possible  this  might  be  done,  her 
assertion  was  not  contradicted. 

As  I  understand  the  matter,  what  was  wanted  was  the 
exertion  of  the  will  of  Mrs.  S.  to  place  my  sister  more 
intimately  en  rapport  with  me  at  the  moment  when  the 
connection  between  Miss  McCauley  and  myself  was 
severed ;  and,  as  I  have  already  stated,  the  difficulty  in 
securing  this  was,  that  Mrs.  S.  knew,  or  believed,  that 
after  Miss  McCauley  was  removed,  her  own  removal 
could  be  accomplished  with  little  difficulty.  Although 
Mrs.  S.  did  not  at  this  time  positively  refuse  to  lend  her 
assistance,  it  was  perceived  that  it  could  not  be  relied 
on,  and  therefore  no  attempt  at  removal  was  made.  My 
mother  then  insisted  that  all  efforts  should  cease ;  and 
in  the  morning,  at  the  moment  of  my  awaking,  told  me 
that  it  was  impossible  to  relieve  me.  Her  reason  for 
telling  me  this  was  that  there  was  a  difference  of  opin- 
ion on  this  point  between  her  and  my  sister.  The  latter 
was  unwilling  to  relinquish  the  undertaking ;  and  my 
mother  thought  if  I  believed,  as  she  did,  that  my  sister 
was  causing  me  useless  annoyances,  she  would  cease 
her  efforts. 

But  it  was  finally  decided  to  attempt  the  removal  of 
Mrs.  S. ;  for  if  she  would  not  assist,  she  was  an  impedi- 
ment For  this  purpose,  my  mother  again  co- operated. 
Mrs.  S.  was  removed,  though  only  for  a  brief  interval, 
in  the  night  of  January  14th,  which  caused  the  piercing 
pain  in  my  head.  She  was  again  removed  on  the  night 
of  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  soon  after  I  had  retired ; 
but  in  the  morning,  as  there  was  no  abatement  of  the 
intense  pain,  she  was  returned.  Her  return  alleviated 
the  pain,  but  did  not  entirely  remove  it  She  was 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  135 

again  removed  on  the  night  of  the  24th  of  the  same 
month,  soon  after  I  went  to  bed ;  and  in  the  morning 
was  again  returned  for  the  same  reason  as  before.  This 
ended  these  experiments. 

As  the  pain  was  less  the  third  night  than  the  second, 
it  is  probable  that  if  there  had  been  no  other  difficulty, 
the  operations  might  have  been  continued  until  the  re- 
moval was  made  final.  But  such  a  state  of  debility  was 
produced  by  the  temporary  removals  that  it  was  thought 
advisable  to  proceed  no  further. 

The  removal  of  Mrs.  S.  operated  very  differently  from 
that  of  Miss  McCauley.  The  immediate  effect  of  the 
removal  of  the  former  was  merely  intense  pain  in  my 
head ;  no  effect  appeared  to  be  produced  upon  the  action 
of  my  heart;  and  the  ultimate  result  was  extreme 
nausea,  loss  of  appetite,  and  debility.  The  attempts  to 
remove  Miss  McCauley  produced,  in  the  first  instance, 
faintness :  in  the  second,  violent  palpitation  of  the  heart ; 
and  it  was  feared  immediate  death  would  be  the  result 
of  actual  removal.  It  thus  appears  that  the  connection 
of  Miss  McCauley  was  at  that  time  of  a  more  vital  nature 
than  that  of  Mrs.  S.  has  ever  been ;  and  the  reason  stated 
is  that  she  was  the  first  to  become  en  rapport.  But  as 
Miss  McCauley  had,  even  then,  much  less  control  of  my 
nervous  organization  than  Mrs.  S.,  not  being  able  to 
write  with  my  hand  or  converse  orally  with  me  when 
the  latter  opposed,  it  is  a  matter  which  I  cannot  under- 
stand. It  appears,  however,  to  be  understood  by,  at 
least,  some  of  those  of  the  other  world  with  me ;  for 
when  the  Count,  at  the  time  of  the  attempts  to  remove 
Miss  McCauley,  told  me  that  the  removal  of  Mrs.  S. 


186  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

would  affect  only  my  head,  not  the  action  of  my  heart, 
it  was  known  that  such  would  be  the  effect. 

Such  as  I  have  stated,  was  the  dangerous  connection 
of  Miss  McCauley  with  me  at  the  time  referred  to.  Since 
that  time,  in  consequence  of  the  efforts  of  my  mother 
and  sister,  aided  by  others,  her  rapport  has  been  greatly 
lessened.  Since  the  removals  of  Mrs.  S.,  Miss  McCauley 
has  been  repeatedly  removed  while  I  was  asleep,  with- 
out causing  anything  more  than  a  slight  degree  of  faint- 
ness  when  I  awoke,  and  which  in  a  few  minutes  passed 
away. 

But  I  have  insisted  that  all  efforts  tending  to  disturb 
my  sleep  shall  cease.  If  my  friends  can  remove  the  two 
females  without  causing  me  further  annoyance  at  night, 
I  shall,  of  course,  be  pleased  to  have  it  done.  But  I 
would  not  consent  again  to  suffer  such  disturbances  at 
night  as  I  have  passed  through,  if  I  could  be  sure  that 
by  so  doing  I  would  be  relieved  of  the  presence  of  the 
females.  My  former  anxiety  for  the  removal  of  Miss 
McCauley,  and  which  occasioned  the  trip  to  England, 
was  partly  owing  to  the  impression  that  she  had  power 
to  produce  these  annoyances.  This  was  staked  as  the 
fact  by  Mrs.  S. ;  and  the  truth  appears  to  be  that  my 
friends,  in  order  to  induce  me  to  bear  them  patiently, 
have  partly  concealed  from  me  the  facts.  The  disturb- 
ances, since  the  arrival  of  my  mother  and  sister,  have  been 
owing  almost  wholly  to  their  efforts  to  obtain  control. 
As  I  have  now  learned  that  the  connection  of  Miss  Mc- 
Cauley is  no  longer  of  a  dangerous  nature,  and  that  she 
is  unable  to  disturb  my  sleep,  provided  my  mother  and 
sister  cease  their  efforts,  I  have  requested  that  this  should 
be  done ;  for  as  I  do  not  wish  to  serve  as  a  medium  for 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE  137 

communications  to  others,  T  care  but  little  how  many 
devils  remain  near  me  so  long  as  I  am  not  in  any  way 
annoyed  by  them.  As  stated,  previous  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  violent  efforts  of  my  mother  and  sister, 
I  had  almost  forgotten  the  presence  of  invisible  beings; 
and  I  hope  that  soon  after  the  completion  of  this  work, 
such  will  again  be  the  case. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  reason  why  I  have 
suffered  such  annoyances,  while  other  mediums  have 
suffered  none,  is,  that  almost  from  the  commencement 
of  my  experience  there  has  been  a  contest  for  the  con- 
trol; first,  between  Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  McCauley,  and 
subsequently  between  my  mother  and  sister  on  the  one 
part,  and  the  two  former  on  the  other,  though  these  two 
have  not  acted  in  concert  It  is  true  that  Mrs.  S.  did, 
for  several  nights,  annoy  me  by  her  infantile  attempts 
at  choking ;  but  this  would  not  have  occurred,  probably, 
had  she  been  an  entire  stranger :  and  from  the  time  the 
idea  occurred  to  her  of  having  me  act  as  a  medium,  she 
caused  me  no  annoyance  until  my  friends  arrived  and 
attempted  to  remove  her.  I  state  this  in  reply  to  the 
frequent  assertions  of  Spiritualists  that  the  "  spirits " 
who  communicate  through  mediums,  and  produce  the 
physical  phenomena,  must  be  benevolent  ones  because 
they  do  no  harm.  These  <l  spirits  "  very  closely  resem- 
ble certain  animals  of  our  world ;  they  do  no  harm  so 
long  as  they  are  not  irritated. 

So  far  as  has  reference  merely  to  the  presence  of  in- 
visible beings  with  me,  my  situation  does  not  differ,  as 
I  am  informed,  from  that  of  thousands,  or  hundreds  of 
thousands,  who  have  no  knowledge  or  suspicion  of  the 
fact  And  when  I  consider  the  strange  desire  of  those 


138  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

of  the  other  world  to  learn  what  is  passing  in  ours — 
which  desire  can  be  gratified  only  bj  becoming  en  rap- 
port with  one  of  us — also,  that  with  every  visitor  to  a 
medium  who  has  received  answers  to  questions  not  made 
known  to  the  medium,  one  of  the  other  world  must  have 
been  to  a  certain  extent  en  rapport,  I  have  no  hesitation 
in  believing  the  statement 

Although  I  have  stated  only  such  facts  in  reference 
to  the  individuals  of  the  other  world  who  have  com- 
municated with  me  as  were  necessary  to  make  the  nar- 
rative intelligible,  some  of  my  acquaintances,  should 
they  read  this  work,  will  know  who  two  of  the  male 
persons  designated  by  initials  are ;  and  it  is  possible  that 
it  may  at  least  be  suspected  who  is  designated  by  the 
title  of  Count  For  this  reason,  I  wish  to  avoid  making 
the  course  taken  by  these  individuals  appear  any  worse 
than  it  really  has  been.  All  that  I  have  stated  in  refer- 
ence to  them  is,  as  I  am  now  informed  and  believe, 
strictly  accurate  ;  and  no  valid  excuse  is,  or  can  be  given 
for  the  deceptions  practiced.  But  as  my  mother  and 
sister  have  evinced  such  an  unconquerable  aversion  to 
their  propositions,  and  as  I  have  stated  that  the  objec- 
tions, especially  of  the  latter,  were  of  a  religious  nature, 
it  may  be  inferred  by  some  that  these  persons  were 
engaged  in  some  very  unholy  scheme ;  and  it  is  upon 
this  point  that  I  think  it  proper  to  state  my  opinion, 
based  upon  all  the  facts  which  I  can  learn. 

First,  then,  as  to  the  proposition  of  the  Count,  towards 
which — considered  without  reference  to  my  serving  as  a 
medium — my  mother,  especially,  evinced  such  a  repug- 
nanca  If  it  was  proper  to  state  the  proposition,  this 
matter  could  be  made  very  clear.  It  was,  as  I  have  said, 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  139 

in  my  judgment  a  visionary  scheme;  but  that  is  here  of 
no  consequence,  as  the  Count  believed  it  practicable. 
The  aversion  of  my  mother  to  the  proposition  would  have 
oeen  the  same  if  she  had  still  been  in  our  world.  It  is 
a  matter  in  reference  to  which  her  present  position  gives 
her  no  peculiar  facilities  for  forming  a  correct  j  udgment ; 
therefore  her  opinion  is  of  no  more  value  how  than  if 
she  was  still  a  resident  of  our  world ;  and  it  was  a  prop- 
osition of  such  a  nature  that  in  deciding  upon  it  men 
would  not,  as  a  rule,  take  the  advice  of  females.  And, 
further,  it  was  a  proposition  in  reference  to  which  the 
inclinations  of  different  individuals  would  vary.  I  pre- 
sume that  nine  individuals  out  of  every  ten  whose 
pecuniary  circumstances  were  no  better  than  my  own, 
would  gladly  have  accepted  such  a  proposal.  This,  I 
think,  is  sufficient  in  reference  to  that  matter. 

It  is  proper  to  state,  however,  that  since  the  trip  to 
England,  the  Count  has  remained  with  me  and  retained 
his  rapport  at  the  request  of  my  male  friends  ;  and  that, 
having  received  in  our  world  a  university  education,  he 
has  rendered  some  service  in  giving  the  theories  pre- 
sented in  this  work,  Nevertheless,  I  am  confident  that 
I  have  not  at  all  misstated  the  character  of  the  Count. 
In  the  spring  of  1869,  to  induce  me  to  go  to  England, 
he  did  tell  the  most  egregious  lies  as  to  what  great 
things  he  would  accomplish  for  me ;  lies  which  were 
utterly  useless  because  I  did  not  believe  them,  and  also 
because  a  prospect  of  getting  rid  of  the  two  females  was 
sufficient  inducement  In  short,  the  Count  is  unques- 
tionably an  incorrigible  liar.  His  idea,  in  reference  to  the 
trip  to  England  was,  that  if  I  was  first  relieved  of  Miss  Mc- 
Cauley,  I  would  not  accept  his  original  proposition ;  but 


140  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

that,  in  my  depressed  state  of  mind,  if  I  found  it  was 
my  only  chance  of  getting  rid  of  her,  I  would  accept  it — 
which  is  about  the  truth.  But,  as  I  have  said,  my 
mother  and  sister — very  unreasonably  on  their  part — 
refused  to  permit  the  proposition  to  be  fairly  submitted 
to  me ;  and  their  suspicions  were  so  excited  that  the 
plan  upon  which  I  went  over  could  not  have  been  car- 
ried out.  I  still  think  that  if  the  matter  has  been  fully 
explained  to  me,  this  scheme,  concurred  in  by  my  male 
friends,  for  inducing  me  to  go  to  England  under  false 
pretences,  was  a  childish  one ;  but  it  is  probable  that, 
under  the  circumstances,  the  retention  of  the  Count  en 
rapport  with  me  was  a  judicious  measure. 

Now,  in  reference  to  the  plan  for  placing  a  medium 
under  the  charge  of  one  or  more  of  this  party.  To  this 
scheme,  although  both  my  mother  and  sister  objected, 
the  objections  of  the  latter  appear  to  have  been  the 
strongest ;  and.  it  is  a  matter  in  reference  to  which  her 
present  position  might  enable  her  to  judge  more  cor- 
rectly than  I  can.  My  sister  believed,  and  still  does, 
that  great  evil  would  be  done  in  our  world  by  the  pro- 
mulgation of  false  doctrines  through  a  medium  placed 
under  the  control  of  such  persons.  It  is  possible  that 
if  communication  was  less  difficult,  so  that  my  sister 
could  state  fully  her  views,  and  the  views  of  others  who 
agree  with  her  upon  this  point,  my  opinion  might  be 
changed  ;  but  my  present  opinion  is  that  we  can  decide 
as  accurately  in  this  matter  as  those  of  the  other  world  ; 
assuming  that  I  have  received  and  given  a  correct  idea 
of  the  characters  of  these  persons. 

Now,  while  I  do  not  believe  that  much  good  would 
be  done,  I  cannot  perceive  how  any  great  amount  of 


EXPLANATORY  NARRATIVE.  141 

evil  could  be  wrought  The  truth  is,  unless  I  am 
greatly  mistaken,  these  individuals  have  no  particular 
doctrines  which  they  wish  to  promulgate ;  their  desire 
is,  solely,  for  communication  with  our  world.  As  the 
communications  would  be  genuine,  and  not  persona- 
tions, they  would  do  some  good  by  making  known 
the  deceptions  practiced  through  other  mediums ;  and 
many  of  the  female  visitors  to  these  mediums  can  poorly 
aiford  to  pay  the  fees  charged  for  delivering  short  and 
eilly  communications  from  personators  of  their  deceased 
friends. 

In  short,  although  I  should  have  wanted  a  little  more 
information  before  deciding,  and  do  not  now  feel  in- 
clined to  have  anything  to  do  with  such  an  undertak- 
ing,'yet  I  think  that  if  at  the  time  the  proposal  was 
made  I  had  understood  this  matter  as  I  now  do,  I  should 
have  been  willing  to  assist  in  placing  Mr.  B.  en  rapport 
with  his  daughter — provided,  of  course,  that  the  latter, 
after  learning  all  the  facts,  desired  it — and  let  him  choose 
his  associates.  But  the  scheme,  so  far  as  Mr.  B.  was 
concerned,  was  necessarily  abandoned  some  time  since, 
for  the  reason  that  his  daughter  was  married ;  and,  ow- 
ing to  the  opposition  of  my  mother  and  sister,  no  defi- 
nite arrangement  of  the  kind  was  made  with  another 
person.  It  was  thought  that  my  aid  would  be  more 
effectual  if  the  individual  of  the  other  world  was  a  for- 
mer acquaintance  than  if  he  was  one  whom  I  had  never 
seen.  But  the  undertaking  would  have  been  an  exper- 
iment ;  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  Mr.  B.,  or  any  indi- 
vidual of  his  class,  could  become  so  intimately  en  rap- 
port with  one  of  our  world,  through  such  a  process,  as 
to  be  able  to  communicate. 


142  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

I  have  thus  stated  my  opinion  of  the  schemes  of  these 
individuals ;  there  was,  in  my  judgment,  nothing  either 
unholy  or  righteous,  malevolent  or  benevolent,  con- 
nected with  them.  But  why  they,  and  others  of  their 
world,  are  so  extremely  desirous  of  communication  with 
ours,  is  a  matter  which  I  cannot  yet  fully  understand. 
Of  course,  the  explanation,  so  far  as  it  goes,  is,  that  our 
world  is  to  them  more  attractive  than  their  own.  Fur- 
ther than  this,  I  should  be  unable,  with  my  limited  in- 
formation respecting  the  other  world,  to  throw  much 
light  upon  the  subject,  and  it  is  one  somewhat  foreign 
to  the  main  object  of  this  work. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MODERN  SPIRITUALISM. 

As  this  work  is  written  under  the  impression  that  the 
writer  is  the  first  individual  of  our  world  who  has  been 
able  to  obtain  any  truth  respecting  the  other,  and  as 
such  has  been  stated  to  be  the  fact,  I  propose  in  this 
chapter  to  give  extracts  from  the  writings  of  modern 
u  seers"  and  Spiritualists  sufficient  to  show  that  there  is 
no  agreement  whatever  between  their  revelations  and 
the  communications  I  have  received.  I  devote  a  chap- 
ter to  this  purpose  because  to  most  persons  it  will  seem 
almost  impossible  that  there  should  have  existed  for 
the  last  twenty  years  constant  means  for  communica- 
tion between  the  other  world  and  ours,  and  yet  no  truth 
have  been  received  by  the  latter  from  the  former.  This 
fact  can  only  be  explained  by  the  statement  that  those 
of  the  other  world  able  to  communicate  through  the 
mediums  are  not  only  all  liars,  but  also  excessively  stu- 
pid ;  so  stupid  that  they  lie  when  the  truth  would  bet- 
ter serve  their  purpose,  at  least  with  intelligent  people. 

The  "  seers  "  really  see  nothing  which  they  pretend 
to  describe,  and  I  only  copy  from  their  writings  because 
their  revelations  are  believed  by  Spiritualists,  and  con- 
firmed through  the  mediums ;  and  because  the  theories 
of  Spiritualists,  so  far  as  they  have  any,  can  thus  be 


144  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

stated  more  conveniently  than  by  copying  disconnected 
communications  given  through  mediums.  I  had  in- 
tended to  give  extracts  from  the  writings  of  Sweden- 
borg,  but  find  that  it  would  be  impossible  within  the 
limits  of  a  single  chapter  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  them. 
A  correct  understanding  of  them  I  could  not  give  within 
any  limits,  for  I  am  unable  to  understand  them  myself, 
or,  more  properly,  I  interpret  them  as  being  the  writings 
of  a  learned  lunatic.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  state  that 
the  theories  of  Spiritualists  are  based  upon  the  writings 
of  Swedenborg ;  for  the  theories  are  formed  by  the  Spir- 
itualists, and  merely  confirmed  by  the  "spirits,"  so 
called.  The  latter  will  confirm  any  theory,  no  matter 
what,  if  it  is  only  false.  This  I  know  from  my  own  ex- 
perience. And  the  diversity  of  theories  held  by  Spirit- 
ualists is,  in  a  great  measure,  owing  to  this  cause — 
namely,  that  the  writings  of  Swedenborg  are  differently 
understood,  consequently  different  beliefs  are  formed, 
and  all  these  beliefs  being  entirely  false,  are  all  con- 
firmed by  the  so-called  spirits. 

Of  course  the  fact  that  the  doctrines  of  all  Spiritual- 
ists entirely  differ  from  those  I  have  received  is  not  the 
slightest  evidence  that  the  former  are  erroneous.  My 
only  aim  in  giving  these  extracts  is  to  show  that  there 
is  a  radical  difference;  that  upon  no  single  point  is 
there  any  agreement ;  and,  especially,  that  in  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  regarding  the  change  in  a  human  being 
called  death,  and  the  location  or  boundary  of  the  world 
into  which  he  then  enters,  the  doctrines  differ  so  greatly 
as  to  be  utterly  irreconcilabla 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  writings  of  Spirit- 
ualists may  as  well  omit  reading  this  chapter,  for  it  is 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM.  145 

tedious  stuff  I  confess  that  I  have  myself  had  patience 
to  read  only  so  far  as  seemed  necessary  for  the  purpose 
stated 

I  will  first  give  extracts  from  a  lecture  by  Hon.  J.  "W. 
Edmonds,  published  under  the  title  "  What  is  Death  ?  " 

"  So,  too,  in  the  case  of  a  brother-in-law,  who  died  af- 
ter a  lingering  illness,  and  of  advanced  aga  I  saw  who 
attended  his  dying  moments.  I  visited  him  frequently 
during  his  illness,  and,  at  his  request,  I  detailed  to  him 
what  I  had  then  learned  as  to  the  life  after  death.  One 
night,  when  sleeping  in  my  own  home,  I  was  awakened 
out  of  a  sound  sleep  about  midnight,  and  saw  his  spirit 
standing  by  my  bedside.  He  told  me  that  he  had  been 
up  there  with  his  sister-in-law,  who  had  been  dead  some 
months,  and  he  had  found  it  to  be  just  as  I  had  told 
him.  I  supposed  he  was  then  dead,  but  I  found  the 
next  morning  that  he  was  not,  that  he  had  that  morning 
revived  from  the  unconsciousness  that  had  been  steal- 
ing over  him,  and  told  his  wife  that  he  had  been  in  the 
spirit- world  ;  that  he  had  there  met  some  friends,  whom 
he  named ;  that  he  had  found  it  to  be  as  I  had  told 
him ;  that  he  knew  where  he  was  going ;  that  he  was 
very  happy,  and  wished  her  not  to  be  distressed  at  his 
death,  for  it  was  all  well  with  him." 

"  As  I  understand  it,  man  is  a  trinity,  consisting — 1st, 
of  the  animal  body,  which  is  possessed  of  attributes 
which  he  shares  in  common  with  the  whole  animal  cre- 
ation ;  2d,  of  the  soul,  which  has  its  intellect  and  its  af- 
fections, proper  to  itself;  and  Sd,  of  what  I  may  call, 
for  want  of  a  better  phraser  his  electrical  body,  which 
connects  the  soul  with  the  animal  body,  and  which  at 
death  leaves  the  body  and  passes  into  the  spirit-world 


146  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

with  the  soul,  and  there  constitutes  its  form  or  tenement 
As  the  three  united  constitute  the  mortal  man  on  earth, 
so  the  soul  and  the  electrical  body  together  constitute 
the  spirit  in  its  existence  beyond  the  grave." 

"The  next  consideration  is,  what  happens  immedi- 
ately after  death  ?  The  first  thing,  as  I  understand  it, 
is  the  formation  of  the  spirit-body  ....  The  forma- 
tion of  the  spirit-body  has  been  beheld  by  me  on  two 
occasions,  and  once,  if  I  recollect  aright,  it  was  described 
by  Mr.  Davis  as  having  been  seen  by  him.  That  was 
in  the  case  of  a  man  who  was  crushed  by  a  falling  bank 
of  earth.  When  we  die,  the  mortal  body  decays  — 
passes  back  to  the  dust  from  which  it  is  said  to  come. 
But  the  other  two  parts  of  the  trinity  which  I  have 
mentioned — the  electrical  body  and  the  soul — together 
pass  into  the  other  world.  The  spirit  forms  its  body 
there.  At  the  moment,  or  immediately  after  death,  it 
passes  out  of  the  corpse  in  the  shape  of  a  pale  smoke- 
like  flame,  and  hovers  directly  over  it  an  unformed, 
unshapen  cloud  for  awhile,  but  gradually  assuming  the 
human  form.  When  the  process  is  through,  and  the 
electrical  body  has  thus  passed  from  the  mortal,  and  is 
hovering  about  it,  it  assumes  the  precise  form  of  the 
corpse  it  leaves  behind.  And  here  you  see  two  per- 
sons, the  dead  body  of  the  person  lying  on  the  bed, 
and  the  electrical  body  hovering  over  it,  and  both  in- 
animate. 

"  I  beheld  in  one  instance  the  spirit-body  forming  di- 
rectly over  the  body  of  the  man  that  lay  dead,  and 
when  thus  formed,  I  was  struck  with  the  marvelous  re- 
semblance to  the  earthly  form  of  the  individual  who 
had  thus  died,  represented  in  the  cloud-body  first 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM.  147 

formed.  It  lay  there  perfect  in  form,  but  there  was  no 
animation  ;  suddenly  it  started  into  new  life.  I  under- 
stood then  what  it  was — it  was  the  soul  entering  that 
spirit-bodj  that  was  its  tenement  for  the  other  life. 

"  The  next  step  after  the  formation  of  the  spirit-body 
is  the  awakening  to  consciousness  in  the  spirit  life. 
With  some  this  is  a  long  time  coming ;  with  others  it 
takes  but  a  single  instant,  varying  in  different  persons 
between  these  two  extremes,  and  is  produced  partly  by 
physical  causes,  but  chiefly  by  our  moral  condition. 

"I  can  best  illustrate  the  proposition  by  telling  some 
incidents  that  have  enabled  me  to  come  to  something 
like  a  correct  conclusion  upon  this  subject;  whether 
right  or  wrong  judge  you  upon  your  own  examination. 
I  say,  in  some  instances  it  is  long  before  consciousness 
returns.  Once,  at  a  circle,  I  was  visited  by  the  spirit  of 
a  young  girl — this  was,  I  think,  in  the  month  of  March 
— she  was  the  grand-daughter  of  an  English  nobleman  ; 
sbe  had  died  in  London  when  dancing  at  a  party. 
When  she  awakened  to  consciousness  she  was  with  us. 
She  thought  she  had  been  carried  into  the  green-house, 
and  that  she  was  there  when  f  peaking  to  us.  She  heard 
our  voices,  and  talked  with  us  under  that  impression, 
and  she  was  wonderfully  surprised  when  we  told  her 
she  was  not  in  London,  but  in  America. 

"  She  was  surprised  to  find  that  we  were  not  savages, 
as  she  had  always  thought  the  Americans  were,  and  in 
the  course  of  my  inquiries  I  found  she  had  never  been 
awakened  to  consciousness  from' the  moment  that  she 
fell  and  expired  until  that  moment  Then  the  inquiry 
was  how  long  that  unconsciousness  had  continued.  She 
could  not  measure  the  time,  but  she  remembered  one  of 


148  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  feasts  of  the  Church  which  occurred  just  before  her 
death,  and  we  knowing  when  that  was,  were  thus  en- 
abled to  know  that  she  had  been  in  this  state  of  uncon- 
sciousness from  the  previous  November  until  March. 
During  these  four  months  she  had  known  nothing ;  she 
supposed  that  she  had  merely  fainted  in  the  ball-room, 
and  was  then  recovering  her  consciousness  in  the  green- 
house immediately  adjoining." 

"  I  had  a  friend  who  died  here  a  few  years  ago,  a 
most  good-natured,  honest,  noble-hearted  fellow,  but 
rather  indolent  He  was  brought  on  one  occasion  after 
his  death  to  my  house  by  some  spirit  friends  who  de- 
sired to  rouse  him  from  this  state  of  semi-torpor  in 
which  he  was  involved.  He  had  heard  it  all  his  life 
long  preached  about  the  last  judgment  day,  so  when  he 
arrived  there  and  began  to  awaken,  he  settled  down  into 
a  state  of  dreamy  composure  and  waited  to  hear  the  last 
trump.  He  determined  he  would  not  stir,  and  ought 
not  to  stir  until  the  trump  had  sounded.  He  was 
brought  to  my  house  by  those  friends  in  order  to  see 
if  they  could  fully  awaken  him  ;  and  when  told  by  those 
friends  that  he  was  then  in  my  presence,  he  said  it  was 
all  nonsense,  and  sank  again  into  his  half-unconscious 
condition,  and  refused  to  be  disturbed." 

It  must  be  assumed  that  the  process  is  the  same, 
whether  the  "  spirit  body  "  leaves  the  "  mortal  body  " 
before  or  after  death.  The  spirit  of  the  brother-in-law 
of  Judge  Edmonds  must  then,  according  to  the  latter's 
theory,  have  passed  through  the  following  process : — 
First,  the  electrical  body  passed  out  of  the  mortal  body, 
and  hovered  for  a  while  over  it,  "  an  unformed,  un- 
shapen  cloud ; "  gradually  it  assumed  the  human  form  ; 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM.  149 

but,  since  it  had  no  life  of  any  kind,  what  caused  this 
is  not  easily  understood.  Second,  the  soul  passed  from 
the  mortal  body,  and  entered  the  electrical  body ;  and 
yet,  the  man  was  not  dead  !  Third,  the  spirit  must  have 
procured  clothing,  for  the  spirits  are  never  seen  naked 
by  the  seers;  this  point  the  Judge 'has  entirely  over- 
looked. Fourth,  after  going  "  up  there,"  and  convers 
ing  with  the  sister-in-law,  and  then  visiting  the  Judge, 
the  above  process  was  reversed ;  that  is,  the  spirit  re- 
turned to  the  mortal  body,  unclothed  itself,  the  soul 
left  it  and  entered  the  mortal  body,  the  spirit  body  be- 
came an  unformed,  unshapen  cloud,  and  then  itself  en- 
tered the  mortal  body ! 

I  have  copied  two  of  the  incidents  given  by  Judge 
Edmonds  as  showing  that  in  some  cases  a  state  of  un- 
consciousness exists  for  a  long  time  after  death,  mainly 
for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  the  credulity  of  Spiritual- 
ists. It  may  be  thought  by  some  that  if  all  those  of 
the  other  world  able  to  communicate  through  mediums 
were  as  stupid  as  I  have  intimated,  they  could  not  have 
deceived  so  many  persons  apparently  cautious  upon 
other  subjects.  Now,  Judge  Edmonds  is  a  lawyer  ac- 
customed to  the  cross-examination  of  witnesses;  and 
yet,  when  communications  from  the  other  world  are  re- 
ceived by  him,  he  manifests  almost  childish  credulity. 
If  any  one  of  our  world  told  him  that  the  grand-daugh- 
ter of  an  English  nobleman  thought  Americans  wer>3 
all  savages,  he  would  consider  the  individual  a  very- 
ignorant  person.  Again,  if  this  spirit  was  not  only  un- 
conscious, but  unable  to  see  where  it  was,  how  could 
it  find  its  way  from  London  to  Judge  Edmonds  ?  The 
success  of  the  "  spirits  "  in  deceiving  people  of  our  world 


150  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

is  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  latter  do  not  criticise  these 
communications  as  they  do  those  of  our  world.  The 
anecdote  of  the  rather  indolent  friend  of  the  Judge  is, 
if  possible,  more  absurd  than  that  of  the  grand-daughter 
of  an  English  nobleman. 

-  I  will  next  give  a  few  extracts  from  a  lecture  by 
Andrew  Jackson  Davis  upon  "Death  and  the  After- 
Life :" 

"Man  is  a  triple  organization.  This  fact  is  estab- 
lished in  two  ways — (1)  by  the  concurrent  observations 
of  all  seers,  sensitives  and  mediums,  and  (2)  by  the  phe- 
nomenal developments  of  individual  men  and  women. 
Man's  external  body  is  a  casing  composed  of  the  aggre- 
gate refinements  of  the  grossest  substances.  "We  will 
name  the  physical  body  iron,  merely  to  give  it  a  just 
classification  and  position,  in  relation  to  mind  and  spirit 
Next,  we  find  that  there  is  an  intermediate  organiza- 
tion— which  Paul  called  the  spiritual  body — composed 
of  still  finer  substances,  the  ultimation  of  the  coarser 
elements  which  make  up  the  corporeal  or  iron  organi- 
zation. The  combination  of  the  finer  substances  com- 
posing the  intermediate  or  spiritual  body,  being  so  white 
and  shining,  may  be  called  the  silver  organization.  The 
inmost,  or  inside  of  this  silvery  body  (which  interior 
Paul  definitely  said  nothing  about),  is  the  immortal 
golden  image." 

"  We  call  the  inmost  spirit — signifying  the  finest,  the 
super-essential  portion  of  man's  nature,  composed  of  all 
impersonal  principles,  which  flow  from  the  Deific  cen- 
tre of  this  glorious  universe,  taking  a  permanent  resi- 
dence within  the  spiritual  body,  which  they  fill  and 
exalt,  just  as  the  elements  of  the  spiritual  body  live 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM.  151 

within  this  corporeal  or  iron  organization,  which  is  com- 
posed of  mineral,  vegetable,  and  animal  atoms  and  vital- 
ities. 

"And  now,  having  disposed  of  these  general  consid- 
erations, I  will  tell  you  what  /  have  seen.  I  will  not 
give  descriptions  of  phenomena  from  mj  supposition  or 
imagination.  I  suppose  that  I  need  not  repeat  that  I 
have  had  the  periscopic  and  clairvoyant  ability  to  see 
through  man's  iron  coating  for  the  past  fifteen  years ; 
neither  need  I  again  remark  that,  within  the  last  twelve 
years,  the  result  of  the  exercise  of  this  faculty  has  come 
to  be  to  me  an  education.  I  have  stood  by  the  side  of 
many  death-beds ;  but  a  description  of  manifestations  in 
one  case  will  suffice  for  the  whola" 

I  omit  his  description  of  the  passage  of  the  spiritual 
body  from  the  "  corporeal  "  one,  as  it  does  not  essen- 
tially differ  from  that  of  Judge  Edmonds. 

"  The  fine  life-thread  continues  attached  to  the  old 
brain.  The  next  thing  is  the  withdrawal  of  the  elec- 
tric principle.  When  this  thread  snaps  the  spiritual 
body  is  free !  and  prepared  to  accompany  its  guardians 
to  the  Summer -Land." 

"  The  clairvoyant  sees  the  newly-arisen  spiritual  body 
move  off  toward  a  thread  of  magnetic  light  which  has 
penetrated  the  room.  There  is  a  golden  shaft  of  celes- 
tial light  touching  this  spiritual  body  near  its  head. 
That  delicate  chain  of  love-light  is  sent  from  above  as 
a  guiding  power.  The  spiritual  being  is  asleep,  like  a 
just-born  happy  babe ;  the  eyes  are  closed,  and  there 
seems  to  be  no  consciousness  of  existence.  It  is  an  un- 
conscious slumber.  In  many  eases  this  sleep  is  long ; 
in  others  not  at  all  The  love-thread  now  draws  the 


152  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

new-born  baby  to  the  outside  door.  A  thought-shaft 
descends  upon  some  one  who  is  busy  about  the  body. 
This  person  is  all  at  once  "  impressed  "  to  open  the  door 
of  the  dwelling,  and  to  leave  it  open  for  a  few  moments, 
or  some  other  door  of  egress  is  opened  ;  and  the  spirit- 
ual body  is  silently  removed  from  the  house.  The 
thread  of  celestial  attraction  gathers  about,  and  draws 
it  obliquely  through  the  forty -five  miles  of  air." 

"  At  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson  I  saw  a  soldier  in- 
stantly killed  by  a  cannon-ball.  One  arm  was  thrown 
over  the  high  trees;  a  part  of  his  brain  went  a  great 
distance ;  other  fragments  were  scattered  about  in  the 
open  field ;  his  limbs  and  fingers  flew  among  the  dead 
and  dying.  Now,  what  of  this  man's  spiritual  body  ?  I 
have  seen  similar  things  many  times — not  deaths  by 
cannon-balls,  but  analogous  deaths  by  sudden  accidents 
or  explosions.  Of  this  person  whose  body  was  so  utterly 
annihilated  at  Port  Donelson,  I  saw  that  all  the  particles 
streamed  up  and  met  together  in  the  air.  The  atmos- 
phere was  filled  with  these  golden  particles — emana- 
tions from  the  dead — over  the  whole  battle-field.  About 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  above  the  smoke  of  the  battle- 
field, above  all  the  l  clouds  that  lowered '  upon  the  hills 
and  forests  of  black  discord,  there  was  visible  a  beauti- 
ful accumulation  from  the  fingers  and  toes,  and  heart, 
and  brain,  of  that  suddenly  killed  soldier.  There  stood 
the  new  spiritual  body  three-quarters  of  mile  above  all 
the  discord  and  din  and  havoc  of  the  furious  battle  \ 
And  the  bodies  of  many  others  were  coming  up  from 
other  directions  at  the  same  time ;  so  that  from  half  a 
mile  to  three  and  five  miles  in  the  clear,  tranquil  air,  I 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM.  153 

could  see  spiritual  organisms  forming  and  departing 
thence  in  all  directions. 

"Individuality  usually  returns,  in  cases  of  sudden 
death,  after  a  few  days  in  the  homes  of  the  Summer- 
Land.  They  are  usually  guided  to  some  Brotherhood, 
to  some  Hospital,  or  to  some  open-armed  Pavilion,  and 
there  they  are  watched  and  tenderly  cared  for,  as  are  all 
who  arrive  from  lower  worlds.  When  the  time  ap- 
proaches for  the  spirit's  awakening,  then  celestial  music, 
or  some  gentle  manipulation,  or  the  murmuring  melody 
of  distant  streams,  or  something  like  breathing  passes 
made  over  the  sleeping  one,  causes  '  sensation '  to  re- 
turn, and  thus  the  new  comer  is  introduced  to  the  Sum- 
mer-Land." 

Judge  Edmonds  professes  to  believe  Davis  to  be  a 
seer,  and  I  suppose  the  latter  believes  the  former  to  be 
one;  but  there  is  not  much  coherence  in  their  state- 
ments. The  spirit  of  Judge  Edmonds!s  brother-in-law 
went  "  up  there  " — which  I  suppose  means  the  Summer- 
Land — without  the  "  life-thread  "  being  snapped,  or  the 
door  being  opened.  If  it  is  necessary  that  some  one  of 
our  world  release  the  spirit  before  it  can  go  to  the  Sum- 
mer-Land, thousands  of  spirits  must  have  had  a  tedious 
time  of  waiting  for  this  to  be  done.  I  presume 
that  Judge  Edmonds  really  believes  that  he  sees  what 
he  professes  to  describe;  but  ft  is  quite  certain  that 
Davis  does  not.  Davis  knew  nothing  about  the  battle 
of  Fort  Donelson  until  he  read  the  account  in  the  news- 
papers ;  and  therefore  he  could  not  even  have  imagined 
that  he  saw  what  he  pretends  to  describe. 

I  cannot  get  from  these  lectures  of  Davis  and  Judge 
Edmonds  any  definite  idea  of  the  "  Summer-Land."  The 


154  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

volume  containing  the  above  lecture  by  Davis  contains 
also  one  by  bim  on  "  Scenes  in  the  Summer-Land,"  but 
the  boundary  is  not  denned.  The  following  is  the  near- 
est approach  to  a  definite  description  given  in  the 
lecture : 

"  The  spiritual  world  is  made  from  life-points  sent  out 
from  the  chemical  coalitions  of  the  planets.  .... 
The  Summer-Land  is  the  comprehensive  sphere.  As- 
tronomically speaking,  the  earth  is  on  one  side  of  that 
vast  galaxy  of  suns  and  planets  termed  the  '  milky  way,' 
and  directly  across  this  great  physical  belt  of  stars  we 
find  the  sublime  repose  of  the  Summer-Land ;  and  this 
is  but  the  receptacle  of  the  immortal  inhabitants  who 
ascend  from  the  different  planets  that  belong  to  our 
solar  system.  These  planets  all  have  celestial  rivers 
which  lead  from  them  toward  the  heavenly  shores.  As 
each  organ  in  the  human  body  holds  its  physical  rela- 
tion to  the  brain  by  means  of  nerves  and  blood-rivers, 
so  these  different  planets  in  the  physical  universe  hold 
a  currental,  magnetic,  and  electrical  relation  to  the  Sum- 
mer-Land, which  corresponds  to  the  brain." 

Judge  Edmonds,  also,  evidently  believes  that  the 
Summer-Land  is  the  abode  of  spirits  from  other  planets, 
as  well  as  from  the  earth.  In  his  lecture  he  says  that 
his  wife,  when  she  died,  was  met  "  by  spirits  from  other 
planets,  with  whom  she* passed  away  from  earth." 

In  a  work  by  Robert  Hare,  late  Professor  of  Chemistry 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  entitled  "  Experi- 
mental Investigations  of  Spirit  Manifestations,"  I  find  a 
more  definite  description  of  the  spirit  world.  The  fol- 
lowing, Prof.  Hare  states  to  be  a  communication  received 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM.  155 

by  him  from  his  father,  in  the  spirit  world,  through  Mrs. 
Gourley,  a  writing-medium : 

u  The  spirit  world  lies  between  sixty  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  from  the  terrestrial  surface ;  the  whole 
intermediate  space,  including  that  immediately  over  the 
earth,  the  habitation  of  mortals,  is  divided  into  seven 
concentric  regions  called  spheres.  The  region  next  the 
earth,  the  primary  scene  of  man's  existence,  is  known  as 
the  first  or  rudimental  sphere.  The  remaining  six  may 
be  distinguished  as  the  spiritual  spheres.  The  six  spir- 
itual spheres  are  concentric  zones,  or  circles  of  exceed- 
ingly refined  matter,  encompassing  the  earth  like  belts 
or  girdles.  The  distance  of  each  from  the  other  is 
regulated  by  fixed  laws." 

If  I  understand  this,  the  nearest  zone,  or  belt — called 
a  sphere1 — is  sixty  miles  distant  from  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  the  farthest,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles. 
This  differs  a  little  from  the  statement  of  Davis  that  the 
Summer-Land  stretches  across  the  milky -way ;  but 
Spiritualists  are  not  at  all  staggered  by  trifling  differences 
like  this.  The  seventh  sphere,  according  to  Prof.  Hare, 
is  the  highest  region  attained  by  any  one  from  our  planet ; 
but  beyond  this  are  the  "  Supernal  Heavens,"  inhabited 
by  spirits  from  other  planets,  who,  from  some  unex- 
plained cause,  are  superior  to  those  from  the  earth. 

"Having  spoken  of  the  angels  of  the  'Supernal 
Heavens,'  I  will  explain  what  is  meant  by  this  designa- 
tion. They  are  those  pure  and  comparatively  exalted 
beings  who,  having  advanced  beyond  the  highest  sphere 
of  the  planet  to  which  they  belonged,  and  attained  a 
very  high  state  of  moral  and  intellectual  development, 
have  been  admitted  into  that  great  and  illimitable  sphere 


156  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

of  progression  which  lies  outside  of  all  other  spheres, 
and  in  which  the  greatest  conceivable  degree  of  harmony 
reigns.  It  is  composed  of  one  grand  harmonial  society, 
whose  members  are  privileged  to  go  wheresoever  they 
will  through  the  boundless  empire  of  space.  They  are 
principally  from  the  planets  Jupiter  and  Saturn,  and 
hold  a  much  more  distinguished  rank  in  the  intellectual, 
moral,  and  social  system  than  the  inhabitants  of  earth. 
I  have  not  learned  that  any  spirit  from  our  planet  has 
yet  reached  the  Supernal  Heaven." 

The -belief  that  the  spirit,  or  spiritual  body,  can  leave 
temporarily  the  physical  body,  is  generally,  if  not  uni- 
versally, held  by  Spiritualists  I  have  already  given 
Judge  Edmonds'  views  upon  this  point  I  am  informed 
by  acquaintances  of  the  Judge  that,  according  to  his 
statement,  his  own  spirit  frequently  leaves  his  physical 
body,  and  visits  the  spirit  world ;  and  the  spirit  of  his 
daughter  is  represented  as  doing  the  same.  Mr.  B.  Cole- 
man,  a  prominent  English  Spiritualist,  has  written  a 
book  entitled  "  Spiritualism  in  America,"  in  which,  after 
speaking  of  the  case  of  Miss  Edmonds,  he  says  that  he 
is  acquainted  with  a  lady  whose  spirit  one  night  left  her 
body,  visited  a  friend,  awoke  him  by  a  box  on  the  ear, 
and  repeated  to  him  a  verse  of  Keats. 

The  principal  organ  of  the  Spiritualists  in  the  United 
States  is  a  newspaper  published  in  Boston,  Mass.,  called 
the  Banner  of  Light.  This  paper  has  attached  to  it  a 
medium,  a  Mrs.  Conant ;  and  nearly  a  page  of  the  paper 
has,  for  a  number  of  years,  been  filled  with  communi- 
cations purporting  to  be  received  from  the  spirit  world 
through  her.  The  following  is  part  of  an  editorial  article 
referring  to  Mrs.  Conant,  taken  from  this  paper : 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM.  157 

"  When  she  is  sick  a  constant  spirit  friend  of  hers 
takes  possession  of  her  organism  and  holds  control  for  a 
time,  in  order  to  relieve  the  tired  spirit  that  owns  the 
tabernacle  of  clay.  This  fact  is  patent  to  us  and  others 
who  have  personally  known  the  medium  for  years.  It 
is  a  scientific  fact.  There  is  no  illusion  about  it ;  no 
psychological  hypothesis  to  be  considered.  Her  spirit 
roams  at  will  through  space,  while  another  spirit  has 
charge  of  the  body.  She  is  sometimes  absent  for  hours. 
Lately  she  visited  a  circle  in  Dresden,  and  wrote  through 
the  hand  of  the  medium  there  tnese  words : — '  America 
greets  Germany.  Mrs.  J.  H.  Conant,  of  the  Banner  of 
Light.'  Subsequently  the  spirit  of  the  German  medium 
paid  his  compliments  to  us,  through  the  body  of  Mrs. 
Conant  He  said  that  as  the  little  medium  he  was  then 
controlling  had  manifested  through  his  organism  in 
Germany,  he  could  do  no  less  than  return  the  compli- 
ment, and  added,  '  Germany  greets  America.'  " 

But  it  appears  that  the  spirit  of  Mrs.  Conant  is  some- 
times obliged  unwillingly  to  leave  her  body.  In  one 
communication,  the  spirit  making  it  states  that  it  ob- 
tained control  by  surrounding  her  with  an  atmosphere 
not  in  harmony  with  her  spirit,  which,  therefore,  left 
her  body,  thus  giving  the  spirit  then  communicating  an 
opportunity  to  enter  and  take-  possession.  And  this 
spirit,  in  reply  to  a  question  upon  that  point,  stated  that 
it  could,  if  it  chose,  retain  possession  of  her  body,  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  original  spirit ;  adding,  that  there  was 
danger  of  evil  spirits  performing  such  operations.  An- 
other communication  states,  that  a  spirit  can  enter  a 
dead  body,  and  cause  it  to  rise,  walk,  and  speak. 

I  will  next  give  the  most  explicit  explanations  I  have 


158  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

been  able  to  find  of  rapping  and  table-moving  ;  of  other 
phenomena  I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  explanations 
whatever.  The  following,  purporting  to  be  explana- 
tions by  the  spirits,  is  from  Prof.  Hare's  work : 

"  The  raps  are  produced  by  voluntary  discharges  of 
the  vitalized  spiritual  electricity  from  the  spirit,  coming 
in  contact  with  the  animal  electricity  emanating  from 
the  medium.  These  discharges  we  can  direct  at  will 
to  any  particular  locality,  thereby  producing  sounds  or 
concussions. 

"  The  question  being  often  asked,  '  How  do  you  move 
solid  substances  f '  I  would  partly  answer  it  by  asking, 
How  does  a  magnet  attract  and  raise  from  their  resting 
places  certain  bodies  within  whose  sphere  it  is  brought  ? 
How  does  a  man  move  his  body  and  direct  it  whither- 
soever it  goeth  ?  How  does  God,  the  Almighty  cause 
of  all  causes,  move  and  keep  in  perpetual  motion  the 
immense  systems  which  revolve  in  space,  and  maintain 
each  in  its  due  relative  position  ?  I  answer,  By  the 
magnetism  of  a  positive  will. 

"  We,  in  common,  with  you  and  all  animals,  possess 
an  infinitesimal  portion  of  this  power,  varying  in  degree 
in  different  classes  and  in  different  individuals.  When 
you  raise  your  arm,  as  in  the  act  of  lifting  or  moving  a 
body,  you  direct,  by  the  force  of  your  will-power,  gal- 
vanic currents  on  the  muscles  required  to  perform  the 
function.  The  muscles  acting  as  levers,  through  the 
stimulus  of  the  subtile  element,  act  and  react  on  the 
more  solid  parts,  the  bones,  and  thus  is  the  object  laid 
hold  of  and  moved,  and  still  you  do  not  come  into  direct 
contact  with  the  object  Now,  this  is  called  a  very  sim- 
ple operation,  and  so  it  would  appear,  but  who  under- 


MODEEN  SPIRITUALISM.  159 

stands  it  ?  Although  advanced  spirits  are  much  more 
conversant  with  the  forces  operating  in  nature  than  the 
most  intellectually  developed  man  in  the  form,  still  they 
do  not,  nor  can  they  ever,  as  long  as  eternity  rolls  on, 
understand  the  hidden  sphere  of  causa  The  operation 
of  the  will  it  is  impossible  to  understand.  Now,  as  I 
have  said,  we  are  not  possessed  of  physical  bodies ;  still 
we  can  make  the  imponderable  elements  subserve  our 
purpose  by  acting  as  bones,  nerves,  and  muscles." 

If  the  spirit  had  simply  explained  the  last  sentence, 
and  stated  how  the  imponderable  elements  were  made 
to  act  as  "  bones,  nerves,  and  muscles,"  there  would  be 
some  sense  in  the  extract ;  as  it  is,  I  can  perceive  none. 
The  "  spirits  "  are  not  asked  to  explain  "  the  hidden 
sphere  of  cause,"  nor  "  the  operation  of  the  will ;  "  but 
simply  to  state  how  they  use  the  imponderable  ele- 
ments, if  they  are  used,  in  moving  a  table  ;  just  as,  for 
example,  one  familiar  with  the  electric  telegraph,  where 
an  imponderable  element  is  used,  would  explain  its 
operations.  However,  the  "  spirits  "  probably  had  little, 
if  any,  agency  in  this  communication  ;  it  was  the  prod- 
uct of  the  medium's  own  brain.  These  impressible  and 
writing  mediums  sometimes  give  communications  from 
the  other  world;  but  as  frequently — especially  when, 
they  are  lengthy — the  communications  are  their  own 
productions.  I  copy  this  as  being,  apparently,  the  most 
explicit  explanation  of  table-moving  the  Professor 
was  able  to  obtain.  He  does  not,  himself,  appear  to 
think  it  very  clear,  since  it  does  not  account  for  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  presence  of  a  medium.  He  says : 

"  The  only  explanation  of  which  I  can  conceive  is, 
that  spirits,  by  volition,  can  deprive  bodies  of  vis  iner- 


160  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

fece,  and  move  bodies,  as  they  do  themselves,  by  their 
will.  But  the  necessity  of  the  presence  of  a  medium 
to  the  display  of  this  power,  granting  its  existence,  is  a 
mystery." 

Not  much  common  sense  is  to  be  looked  for  in  a  man 
who — in  common  with  many  Spiritualists — is  prepared 
to  believe  that  spirits  can  move  a  table,  as  they  do  them- 
selves, by  volition ;  still,  it  does  appear  very  strange 
that  the  Professor  should  not  have  known  the  spirits 
could  explain  this  "  mystery  "  if  they  were  disposed  to 
do  so. 

In  another  work  by  Davis,  I  find  what  purport  to  be 
explanations  of  table-moving  and  rapping.  Table- 
moving  is  illustrated  by  an  engraving  representiDg  a 
group  of  spirits  above  the  clouds,  and  over  the  dwelling 
in  which  a  circle  is  seated  around  a  table.  A  line  is 
drawn  from  the  group  of  spirits  to  the  table,  represent- 
ing a  "  thread  of  magnetism"  proceeding  from  the  for- 
mer to  the  latter. 

"  There  is  always  a  supermundane  circle  correspond- 
ing to  the  structure  and  conditions  of  the  circle  on  earth. 
And  each  guardian  mind  of  the  spiritual  group  contrib- 
utes its  proportion  of  magnetic  emanation,  to  form  a 
line  of  communication,  just  as  each  person  in  the  terres- 
trial group  lende  his  or  her  mental  and  physical  influ- 
ence to  mediumize  the  table.  Thus  there  is  an  earthly 
terminus  and  there  is  a  spiritual  terminus  to  ike  fine 
thread  of  magnetism,  which  perforating  and  passing 
through  all  intervening  substances,  accomplishes  the 
wonders  herein  described. 

"  The  above  engraving  is  designed  expressly  to  illus- 
trate the  process  of  table-moving,  as  accomplished  on 


MODERN  SPIKITUALISM.  161 

principles  already  explained.  Elevated  above  the  cloud- 
region  is  seen  the  spirit-circle  in  telegraphic  correspond- 
ence with  the  mundane  party  in  the  lower  story  of  the 
dwelling.  The  influence  from  the  upper  circle  is  seen 
passing  down  through  the  roof  and  floors  to  the  surface 
of  the  table,  where  it  imperceptibly  radiates  and  emits 
invisible  rays  in  every  direction,  and  fills  the  substance 
of  the  table  as  water  saturates  a  sponge.  This  is  a  true 
copy  from  nature.  The  descending  line,  it  may  be  re- 
marked, proceeds  in  an  oblique  direction,  in  order  to 
exert  a  leverage  influence  on  the  substance  to  be  moved. 
But  when  the  '  sounds '  are  desired  to  be  produced,  this 
line  descends  almost  perpendicularly,  as  will  be  here- 
after shown.  The  diameter  of  this  magnetic  current, 
which  is  fine  and  very  strong,  as  I  have  frequently  seen, 
varies  in  size  from  that  of  a  knitting-needle  to  a  child's 
little  finger." 

Evidently,  Prof.  Hare's  informants  knew  nothing  about 
this  sort  of  an  arrangement  And  I  can  perceive  no 
necessity  for  it  if,  as  Davis  states,  the  spirits  cannot  enter 
or  leave  a  room  while  the  openings  are  closed.  If  that 
was  the  fact,  they  could  move  a  table  precisely  as  we 
do. 

The  mode  of  producing  the  "  raps "  was  shown  to 
Davis  by  a  boy,  who  visited  him  in  company  with  an 
Italian  gentleman.  These  visitors  from  the  spirit  world, 
by  the  way,  were  unable  to  enter  Davis'  room  until  he 
opened  the  door.  Davis  requested  the  boy  to  show  him 
how  the  raps  were  produced  : 

"Immediately  he  drew  near  the  table,  and  raised 
himself  about  two  feet  above  its  level.  Still  the  gentle- 
man held  his  left  hand.  His  right  hand  being  at  liberty, 


162  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

he  moved  it  rapidly  in  several  directions  for  a  few 
minutes ;  then  brought  it  in  a  calm,  firm  manner,  at  a 
right  angle  with  the  surface  of  the  table.  The  beautiful 
spontaneous  grace  accompanying  these  gestures  made 
the  exhibition  exceedingly  entertaining.  His  hand  had 
not  been  in  this  posture  more  than  three  minutes,  re- 
maining fixed  as  by  the  strongest  effort  of  Will,  when  I 
saw  a  current  of  amber  softness  pass  down  from  the  middle 
finger  to  the  table,  on  which  slight  concussions  were  instantly 
produced.  This  phenomenon  was  very  beautiful.  But  I 
saw  how  difficult  it  was  to  make  them  loud,  or  rapidly, 
as  he  and  I  desired.  The  concussions  were  caused  by 
the  fine  current,  proceeding  from  the  hand  of  the  spirit, 
directed  by  the  will-power,  coming  in  sudden  contact 
with  the  electricity  which  reposed,  like  latent  heat,  in  the 
interstices  of  the  board — in  the  spaces  between  the  particles 
composing  the  top  and  standard  of  the  table." 

Without  entering  into  any  further  criticism  upon  it,  I 
will  merely  state,  that  if  I  have  received  correct  informa- 
tion, beyond  the  fact  that  these  phenomena  are  produced 
by  beings  of  another  world,  once  inhabitants  of  ours, 
there  is  no  truth,  nor  even  an  approximation  to  the 
truth,  in  all  that  I  have  copied  into  this  chapter.  There 
is  no  spiritual  body  in  man,  and  therefore  none  to  leave 
the  physical  body,  either  before  or  at  the  death  of  the 
latter ;  and  man  is  no  more  a  spirit  after  the  death  of 
the  present  body  than  before.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
other  world — those  producing  these  phenomena — have 
no  more  power  to  leave  this  globe  than  we  have ;  and 
they  know  no  more  about  the  inhabitants  of  other 
planets,  if  there  are  such  than  we  do.  The  explana- 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM.  163 

tions  of  table-moving  and  rapping  are  equally  far  from 
the  truth. 

It  is  asserted  by  some  Spiritualists  that  the  writings 
of  Mr.  Davis  contain  matter  of  a  scientific  and  philoso- 
phical nature,  which  an  uneducated  man  like  him  would 
be  incompetent  to  write  if  it  were  not  dictated  by  an 
intelligence  higher  than  his  own.  I  have  read  very  little 
of  his  writings ;  but  the  following  theory  of  the  tides, 
taken  from  "  Nature's  Divine  Revelations,"  which  is,  I 
believe,  called  one  of  his  greatest  works,  will  give  an 
idea  both  of  his  science  and  logic : 

"  The  theories  that  have  been  presented  to  the  world 
concerning  the  phenomenon  of  tides,  have  generally  been 
very  incorrect  It  has  been  supposed  by  a  conspicuous 
astronomer  that  tides  were  produced  by  the  law  of  at- 
traction— by  the  action  of  the  moon  upon  the  earth. 
This  cannot  be  true,  for  attraction  is  not  an  established 
principle,  especially  beyond  the  atmosphere  of  any  body 
or  substance.  To  show  plainly  the  impossibility  of  this 
being  the  cause  of  tides,  I  will  present  some  of  the  chief 
considerations  which  have  an  important  bearing  upon 
the  subject 

"  If  the  moon  has  any  attractive  influence  upon  the 
earth  (more  than  what  consists  in  the  natural  relation 
existing  between  the  two  bodies),  why,  when  the  moon 
is  in  conjunction  with  the  sun,  does  not  the  water  be- 
come more  elevated  on  the  side  of  the  earth  next  to  these 
bodies,  as  might  naturally  be  expected  if  such  attraction 
existed  ?  Also,  substances  upon  that  side  of  the  earth 
would  not  then  weigh  near  so  much  as  when  the  moon 
was  otherwise  situated.  Also,  when  the  moon  is  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  earth,  and  the  earth  sustains  a  posi- 


164  MODERN  DIABOLISM 

tion  between  it  and  the  sun,  why  is  not  the  elevation  of 
the  water  equal  at  all  positions  of  the  earth?  For  if  the 
sun  and  moon  exert  an  equal  influence,  the  result  should 
be  equal  heights  of  water  all  over  the  earth. 

"It  is  a  well -ascertained  truth  in  astronomy,  and  in 
the  principles  of  mechanics,  that  a  body  rotating  like  the 
earth  on  its  axis,  has  the  tendency  to  throw  off  substances 
in  the  direction  in  which  it  revolves.  As  the  earth  re- 
volves from  west  to  east,  and  at  the  present  time  once 
in  twenty-four  hours,  it  must  of  necessity  produce  two 
elevations  of  water,  especially  as  the  water  surrounds 
the  whole  globe.  Every  twelve  hours  the  water  would 
be  elevated  at  the  extreme  east  and  extreme  west,  or,  in 
other  words,  at  given  antipodes  of  the  earth.  The  eleva- 
tion of  water  once  in  twelve  hours  is  a  result,  of  the 
centrifugal  tendency  that  the  globe  creates  in  one-half 
of  its  period  of  rotation — corresponding  tides  being  thus 
produced  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  earth." 

This  work,  Davis  says,  was  written  while  he  was  in 
a  "superior  state."  Now,  let  the  philosophers  either 
prove  that  the  moon  has  an  attractive  influence  upon 
the  earth,  "  more  than  what  consists  in  the  natural  rela- 
tion existing  between  the  two  bodies,"  or  accept  this 
centrifugal  theory.  Seriously,  the  fact  that  individuals 
can  be  found  who  will  cite  the  writings  of  Andrew 
Jackson  Davis  as  evidence  that  he  must  be  inspired  by 
an  intelligence  higher  than  his  own,  sufficiently  explains 
the  spread  of  Modern  Spiritualism. 


CHAPTER  VL 

ON  THE  WAVE  THEORY  OF  SOUND  AND  A  NEW  THEORY 
OP  SAME. 

I  HA  YE  before  me  a  series  of  lectures  on  Sound 
by  Pro£  J.  Tjndall ;  *  and  from  the  position  occupied 
by  the  lecturer,  as  well  as  from  the  fact,  stated  in  his 
preface,  that  the  proof-sheets  have  been  examined  bj  his 
friends,  I  feel  warranted  in  concluding  that  the  theory 
of  sound  now  generally  held  by  scientific  men  is  by 
the  Professor  correctly  stated.  In  my  examination  of 
the  theory,  I  will,  therefore,  confine  myself  to  a  brief 
review  of  this  work. 

From  the  following  it  will  be  perceived  that  Prof. 
Tyndall  thinks  all  our  sensations  are  to  be  accounted 
for  upon  the  theory  of  motion : 

"  We  have  the  strongest  reasons  for  believing  that 
what  the  nerves  convey  to  the  brain  is  in  all  cases  mo- 
tion. It  is  the  motion  excited  by  sugar  in  the  nerves 
of  taste  which,  transmitted  to  the  brain,  produces  the 
sensation  of  sweetness,  while  bitterness  is  the  result  of 
the  motion  produced  by  aloes.  It  is  the'  motion  ex- 
cited in  the  olfactory  nerves  by  the  effluvium  of  a  rose, 

*  "SotTND.  A  course  of  eight  lectures  delivered  at  the  Eoyal  In- 
stitution of  Great  Britain  by  John  Tyndall,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.,  Profes- 
sor of  Natural  Philosophy  in  the  Royal  Institution  and  in  the  Royal 
School  of  Mines.  London  :  Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  1867." 


^66  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

which  announces  itself  in  the  brain  as  the  odor  of  the 
rosa  It  is  the  motion  imparted  by  the  sunbeams  to 
the  optic  nerve  which,  when  it  reaches  the  brain,  awakes 
the  consciousness  of  light ;  while  a  similar  motion  im- 
parted to  other  nerves  resolves  itself  into  heat  in  the 
same  wonderful  organ."  Pp.  1,  2. 

The  following  is  given  as  an  imperfect  illustration  of 
the  mode  in  which  sound  is  conveyed  through  the  air: 

"The  process  may  be  rudely  represented  by  the 
propagation  of  motion  through  a  row  of  glass  balls,  such 
as  are  employed  in  the  game  of  solitaire.  I  place  these 
balls  along  a  groove  thus,*  each  of  them  touching  its 
neighbors.  Taking  one  of  them  in  my  hand,  I  urge  it 
against  the  end  of  the  row.  The  motion  thus  imparted 
to  the  first  ball  is  delivered  up  to  the  second,  the  motion 
of  the  second  is  delivered  up  to  the  third,  the  motion 
of  the  third  is  imparted  to  the  fourth  ;  each  ball,  after 
having  given  up  its  motion,  returning  itself  to  rest 
The  last  ball  only  of  the  row  flies  away.  Thus  is  sound 
conveyed  from  particle  to  particle  through  the  air.  The 
particles  which  fill  the  cavity  of  the  ear  are  finally 
driven  against  the  tympanic  membrane,  which  is 
stretched  across  the  passage  leading  to  the  brain. 
This  membrane,  which  closes  the  "  drum  "  of  the  ear, 
is  thrown  into  vibration,  its  motion  is  transmitted  to 
the  ends  of  the  auditory  nerve,  and  afterward  along  the 
nerve  to  the  brain,  where  the  vibrations  are  translated 
into  sound."  Pp.  3,  4. 

If  this  experiment  with  the  glass  balls  was  a  correct 
illustration  of  the  theory,  I  should  have  nothing  to  say 

*  The  work  is  illustrated  by  engravings,  which  I  have  not  thought 
it  necessary  to  copy. 


WAVE  THEORY  OF  SOUND.  167 

against  this  portion  of  it;  that  is,  the  mode  in  which  it 
supposes  sound  to  be  conveyed  through  the  air.  But 
the  truth  is,  it  is  no  illustration  at  all  of  the  wave  theory. 
This  theory  assumes  that  the  particles  of  matter  are 
separated  by  an  "  elastic  force,"  which  Prof  Tyndall 
compares  to  a  "  spiral  spring  ;  "  and  sound  is  supposed 
to  be  conveyed  by  condensations  and  rarefactions  of  the 
conducting  medium. 

"  You  ought,  in  short,  to  be  able  to  seize  the  concep- 
tion that  a  sonorous  wave  consists  of  two  portions,  in 
the  one  of  which  the  air  is  more  dense,  and  in  the  other 
of  which  it  is  less  dense  than  usuaL  A  condensation 
and  a  rarefaction,  then,  are  the  two  constituents  of  a 
wave  of  sound."  P.  5. 

If  the  reader  will  suppose  the  glass  balls  to  be  sepa- 
rated by  spiral  springs,  and  a  series  of  condensations 
and  rarefactions  to  be. propagated  through  the  string,  he 
will  have  a  correct  idea  of  what  is  meant  by  sound- 
waves. The  waves  generated  by  a  man's  organs  of 
speech  in  common  conversation  are  said  to  be  from 
eight  to  twelve  feet,  those  of  a  woman  from  two.  to  four 
feet  in  length.  That  such  waves  are  propagated,  the 
Professor  undertakes  to  demonstrate  by  the  following 
experiment : — Placing  a  tin  tube,  fifteen  feet  in  length 
and  terminating  at  one  end  in  a  small  opening,  in  a 
horizontal  position,  with  the  small  opening  near  a  lighted 
candle,  he  places  a  piece  of  burning  paper  in  the  other 
end,  then,  by  clapping  two  books  together  close  to  the 
latter  extinguishes  the  candle,  and,  because  no  smoke 
from  the  burning  paper  is  ejected  from  the  end  next  the 
candle,  he  claims  that  the  candle  is  extinguished  by  a 
sound-wave,  and  not  by  a  puff  of  air. 


168  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

"  To  show  you  that  it  is  a  pulse  and  not  a  puff  of  air, 
I  fill  one  end  of  the  tube  with  the  smoke  of  brown  paper. 
On  clapping  the  books  together  no  trace  of  this  smoke 
is  ejected  from  the  other  end.  The  pulse  has  passed 
through  both  smoke  and  air  without  carrying  either  of 
them  along  with  it."  P.  12. 

This  is  inexcusably  silly.  The  books,  when  clapped 
together  as  represented  in  the  engraving,  forced  a  quan- 
tity of  air  into  the  large  opening  of  the  tube  ;  this  air 
forced  an  equal  quantity  out  of  the  end  next  the  can- 
dle ;  and  it  requires  but  a  small  quantity  of  air,  when 
forced  out  of  a  small  opening  near  a  lighted  candle,  to 
extinguish  the  flame.  JSTo  smoke  would  be  ejected 
from  the  opening  next  the  candle — provided  the  experi- 
ment was  made  immediately  upon  the  burning  paper 
being  placed  in  the  other  end — until  nearly  the  whole 
fifteen  feet  of  air  was  expelled.  I  find  by  repeating  the 
experiment  (except  that  I  place  my  mouth  at  one  end 
instead  of  the  books)  with  a  tube  only  about  one-fourth 
the  length  of  the  Professor's,  rudely  formed  from  a  piece 
of  paper  I  happen  to  have  in  my  room,  that  I  can  by  a 
"puff"  blow  out  the  gas — partially  turned  down — 
without  forcing  any  smoke  out  of  the  end  of  the  tube 
next  it 

I  repeat,  such  nonsense  in  what  purports  to  be  a 
scientific  lecture  is  inexcusable ;  because,  as  the  trial 
would  have  been  so  very  easy,  the  Professor,  before 
claiming  that  such  an  experiment  demonstrated  the 
truth  of  his  theory,  should  have  ascertained  whether  a 
"puff"  would  not  extinguish  the  candle  without  forcing 
smoke  through  the  tube ;  though,  really,  it  seems  to  me 
that  an  "LL.  D.,  F.  R  S.,"  and  "Professor  of  Natural 


WAVE  THEORY  OF  SOUND.  169 

Philosophy  in  the  Royal  Institution  and  in  the  Royal 
School  of  Mines,"  should  be  able  to  understand  so  sim- 
ple a  phenomenon  without  any  trial.  The  following 
was,  according  to  the  Professor,  a  tremendous  sound- 
wave: 

"  The  most  striking  example  of  this  inflection  of  a 
sonorous  wave  that  I  have  ever  seen,  was  exhibited  at 
Erith  after  the  tremendous  explosion  of  a  powder  mag- 
azine which  occurred  there  in  1864.  The  village  of 
Erith  was  some  miles  distant  from  the  magazine,  but  in 
nearly  all  cases  the  windows  were  shattered ;  and  it  was 
noticeable  that  the  windows  turned  away  from  the  ori- 
gin of  the  explosion  suffered  almost  as  much  as  those 
which  faced  it.  Lead  sashes  were  employed  in  Erith 
church,  and  these  being  in  some  degree  flexible,  enabled 
the  windows  to  yield  to  pressure  without  much  fracture 
of  the  glass.  Every  window  in  the  church,  front  and 
back,  was  bent  imvards.  In  fact,  as  the  sound-wave 
reached  the  church  it  separated  right  and  left,  and,  for 
a  moment,  the  edifice  was  clasped  by  a  girdle  of  in- 
tensely compressed  air,  which  forced  all  its  windows  in- 
wards. After  compression,  the  air  within  the  church  no 
doubt  dilated,  and  tended  to  restore  the  windows  to  their 
first  condition.  The  bending  in  of  the  windows,  how- 
ever, produced  but  a  small  condensation  of  the  whole 
mass  of  air  within  the  church ;  the  force  of  recoil  was 
therefore  feeble  in  comparison  with  the  force  of  impact, 
and  insufficient  to  undo  what  the  latter  had  accom- 
plished." P.  23. 

The  theory  assumes  that  the  condensation  would  be 
succeeded  by  an  equal  degree  of  rarefaction;  and  if 
such  had  been  the  fact,  the  windows  would  have  been 


170  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

forced,  not  merely  back  to  their  original  position,  but 
outward.  But  I  copy  the  paragraph  mainly  for  the 
purpose  of  letting  the  reader  fully  understand  what,  in 
the  opinion  of  Prof.  Tyndall,  constitutes  a  sound-wave. 

The  Professor's  definition  of  pitch,  namely,  that  it  de- 
pends upon  the  rapidity,  or  rate  of  vibration  of  the 
sounding  body,  is,  I  presume,  correct ;  but  his  explana- 
tion of  the  difference  in  the  quality  of  sound  appears  to 
me  less  satisfactory.  It  is  comprised  in  the  following 
paragraph : 

"  Finally,  with  regard  to  the  vibrations  of  a  wire,  the 
experiments  of  Dr.  Young,  who  was  the  first  to  employ 
optical  methods  in  such  experiments,  must  be  mentioned. 
He  allowed  a  sheet  of  sunlight  to  cross  a  pianoforte 
wire,  and  obtained  thus  a  brilliant  dot.  Striking  the 
wire,  he  caused  it  to  vibrate,  the  dot  described  a  lumin- 
ous line  like  that  produced  by  the  whirling  of  a  burn- 
ing coal  in  the  air,  and  the  form  of  this  line  revealed 
the  character  of  the  vibration.  It  was  rendered  man- 
ifest by  these  experiments  that  the  oscillations  of  the 
wire  were  not  confined  to  a  single  plane,  but  that  it  de- 
scribed in  its  vibrations  curves  of  greater  or  less  com- 
plexity. Superposed  upon  the  vibration  of  the  whole 
string  were  partial  vibrations,  which  revealed  them- 
selves as  loops  and  sinuosities The  form  of  the 

sonorous  wave  is  affected  by  these  superposed  vibra- 
tions, and  thus  they  influence  the  clang-tint  or  quality 
of  the  sound."  Pp.  123,  124. 

This  is  excessively  absurd.  What  possible  effect 
can  the/orm  of  the  wave  have  upon  the  quality  of  the 
sound  ?  Besides,  that  infinitesimal  portion  of  the  wave 
which  enters  the  small  and  irregular  opening  called  the 


WAVE  THEORY  OF  SOUND.  171 

outer  ear,  must  always  be  of  the  form  of  this  opening , 
in  other  words,  always  of  the  same  form. 

Without  occupying  more  space  with  Prof.  Tyndall's 
explanations  of  any  particular  phenomenon,  I  will  state 
my  objection  to  the  whole  theory.  I  hold  it  to  be  im- 
possible that  sound  is  propagated  by  a  series  of  conden- 
sations and  rarefactions,  such  as  the  theory  supposes, 
for  the  reason  that  all  sounds,  however  much  they  may 
vary  in  intensity,  travel  with  the  same  velocity ;  at 
least,  there  is  no  appreciable  difference  in  the  velocity. 
Prof.  Tyndall  says  nothing  about  this,  but  it  is  a  known 
fact,  ascertained  by  experiment ;  and  is  stated  in  most 
works  on  the  subject.  It  is  also  a  fact  which  cannot 
be  reconciled  to  this  theory  that  the  velocity  of  sound 
does  not  diminish  as  the  distance  from  the  sounding 
body  increases ;  it  continues  the  same  to  any  distance 
at  which  it  is  perceptible.  To  make  my  objection  un- 
derstood, I  will  copy  further  from  Prof  Tyndall's  lec- 
tures: 

"  The  wave-length  is  found  by  dividing  the  velocity 
of  sound  per  second  by  the  number  of  vibrations  exe- 
cuted by  the  sounding  body  in  a  second.  Thus  a  tun- 
ing-fork which  vibrates  256  times  in  a  second  produces 
in  air  of  15°  C.,  where  the  velocity  is  1.120  feet  a  sec- 
ond, waves  four  feet  four  inches  long.  While  two  other 
forks  vibrating  respectively  320  and  384  times  a  second, 
generate  waves  three  feet  six  inches  and  two  feet  eleven 
inches  long."  P.  84 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  theory  assumes  the 
waves  to  be,  at  any  distance,  of  the  same  length  as  at 
the  starting  point  This,  in  fact,  appears  to  be  a  neces- 
sary assumption,  since  the  sound  continues  to  travel 


172  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

with  the  same  velocity.  It  is  also  a  necessary  assump- 
tion from  the  latter  fact,  that  the  waves  are  propagated 
with  the  same  rapidity  as  at  the  start ;  that  is.  that  the 
same  number  are  formed  in  a  given  time.  In  one  place 
Prof.  Tyndall  calls  the  condensations  and  rarefactions 
pulses,  and  this  is  a  more  correct  definition  than  the 
word  waves.  Now,  if  the  pulses  continue,  at  any  dis- 
tance from  the  sounding  body,  to  be  propagated  of  the 
same  length,  and  with  the  same  rapidity  as  at  the  start- 
ing point,  the  loudness,  or  intensity  of  the  sound  must 
continue  the  same.  This  can  need  no  argument,  for  the 
pulses  would  continue  precisely  the  same  in  every  re- 
spect. But  the  fact  is,  that  the  intensity  of  sound 
diminishes  as  the  distance  increases.  Prof.  Tyndall 
states  the  law  as  being  that,  the  intensity  of  the  sound 
varies  inversely  as  the  square  of  the  distance.  It  is  im- 
possible to  reconcile  the  theory,  on  this  point,  with  the 
facts. 

Again :  It  will  also  be  perceived  from  the  last  quota- 
tion that  the  theory  accounts  for  the  fact  that  sounds  of 
different  intensity  travel  with  the  same  velocity,  by 
assuming  that  the  frequency  of  the  pulses,  or  the  num- 
ber formed  in  a  second,  varies  accordingly.  Thus  Tyn- 
dall, having  ascertained  the  distance  which  sound  travels 
in  a  second,  and  the  number  of  vibrations  which  differ- 
ent tuning-forks  execute  in  the  same  time,  divides  the 
former  by  the  latter ;  thus  showing  that  if  the  amplitude, 
or  length  of  the  waves — which,  according  to  this  theory, 
determines  the  intensity  of  the  sound — created  by  one 
fork  is  greater  than  that  of  those  created  by  another, 
the  number  of  waves  created  by  the  latter  in  a  given 
time  is  proportionally  greater;  and,  therefore,  the 


WAVE  THEORY   OF  SOUND.  173 

rapidity  with  which  the  sound  is  propagated  is  in  each 
case  the  same.  The  fallacy  of  this  mode  of  reasoning 
will  be  perceived  by  observing  the  vibrations  of  a  single 
fork 

"  When  I  first  excite  the  tuning-fork  the  sound  issues 
from  it  with  maximum  loudness,  becoming  gradually 
feebler  as  the  fork  continues  to  vibrate.  I,  being  close 
to  the  fork,  can  notice  at  the  same  time  that  the  ampli- 
tude or  space  through  which  the  prongs  oscillate  becomes 
less  and  less.  But  within  the  limits  here  employed  the 
most  expert  ear  in  this  assembly  can  detect  no  change 
in  the  pitch  of  the  note.  The  lowering  of  the  intensity 
of  a  note  does  not,  therefore,  imply  a  lowering  of  its 
pitch.  In  fact,  though  the  amplitude  changes,  the  rate 
of  vibration  remains  the  same."  Pp.  58,  59. 

In  this  case,  then,  the  rate  of  vibration  does  not  in- 
crease as  the  amplitude  diminishes.  Now,  when  the 
amplitude  of  vibration  has  become  reduced  to  one-half 
its  maximum,  the  pulses  have  become  reduced  one-half 
in  length  ;  and  as  the  pulses  continue  to  be  propagated 
at  the  same  rate — the  same  number  per  second — as  when 
their  length  was  at  its  maximum,  the  rate  at  which  the 
sound  travels  must  be  reduced  to  one-half  its  maximum. 
But  the  fact  is,  that  so  long  as  the  sound  continues  to 
be  audible  it  travels  with  the  same  velocity  as  when  the 
fork  commenced  its  vibrations.  It  is  utterly  impossible 
to  reconcile  this  theory  with  the  fact  that  all  sounds 
travel  with  the  same  velocity. 

As  to  the  mode  in  which  the  motion  is  transmitted 
from  the  tympanic  membrane  to  the  brain,  Prof  Tyn- 
dall  speaks  less  positively  than  in  reference  to  other 
parts  of  the  theory.  The  following  are,  he  says,  the 


174  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

views  now  entertained  by  the  most  eminent  authorities 
upon  this  point : 

"  In  the  organ  of  hearing  in  man  we  have  first  of  all 
the  external  orifice  of  the  ear,  which  is  closed  at  the 
bottom  by  the  circular  tympanic  membrane.  Behind 
that  membrane  is  the  cavity  called  the  drum  of  the  ear, 
this  cavity  being  separated  from  the  space  between  it 
and  the  brain  by  a  bony  partition,  in  which  there  are 
two  orifices,  the  one  round  and  the  other  oval.  These 
orifices  are  also  closed  by  fine  membranes.  Across  the 
cavity  of  the  drum  stretches  a  series  of  four  little  bones ; 
the  first,  called  the  hammer,  is  attached  to  the  tympanic 
membrane ;  the  second,  called  the  anvil,  is  connected  by 
a  joint  with  the  hammer ;  a  third  little  round  bone  con- 
nects the  anvil  with  the  stirrup-bone,  which  has  its  oval 
base  planted  against  the  membrane  of  the  oval  orifice 
above  referred  to.  The  base  of  the  stirrup-bone  abuts 
against  this  membrane,  almost  covering  it,  and  leaving 
but  a  narrow  rim  of  the  membrane  surrounding  the 
bone.  Behind  the  bony  partition,  and  between  it  and 
the  brain,  we  have  the  extraordinary  organ  called  the 
labyrinth,  which  is  filled  with  water,  and  over  the  living 
membrane  of  which  the  terminal  fibres  of  the  auditory 
nerve  are  distributed.  When  the  tympanic  membrane 
receives  a  shock,  that  shock  is  transmitted  through  the 
series  of  bones  above  referred  to,  and  is  concentrated  on 
the  membrane  against  which  the  base  of  the  stirrup- 
bone  is  planted.  That  membrane  transfers  the  shock  to 
the  water  of  the  labyrinth,  which,  in  its  turn,  transfers  it 
to  the  nerves. 

"  The  transmission,  however,  is  not  direct  At  a  cer- 
tain place  within  the  labyrinth  exceedingly  fine  elastic 


NEW  THEORY  OF  SOUND.  175 

bristles,  terminating  in  sharp  points,  grow  up  between 
the  terminal  nerve  fibres.  These  bristles,  discovered  by 
Max  Schultze,  are  eminently  calculated  to  sympathize 
with  those  vibrations  of  the  water  which  correspond  to 
their  proper  periods.  Thrown  thus  into  vibration,  the 
bristles  stir  the  nerve  fibres  which  lie  between  their  roots 
and  excite  audition.  At  another  place  in  the  labyrinth 
we  have  little  crystalline  particles  called  otolithes — the 
Horsteine  of  the  Germans— embedded  among  the  ner- 
vous filaments,  and  which,  when  they  vibrate,  exert  an 
intermittent  pressure  upon  the  adjacent  nerve  fibres, 
thus  exciting  audition.  The  otolithes  probably  sub- 
serve a  different  purpose  from  that  fulfilled  by  the 
bristles  of  Sehultze.  They  are  fitted,  by  their  weight, 
to  accept  and  prolong  the  vibrations  of  evanescent 
sounds,  which  might  otherwise  escape  attention.  The 
bristles  of  Schultze,  on  the  contrary,  because  of  their 
lightness,  would  instantly  yield  up  an  evanescent  motion, 
while  they  are  eminently  fitted  for  the  transmission  of 
continuous  vibrations.  Finally,  there  is  in  the  labyrinth 
a  wonderful  organ,  discovered  by  the  Marchese  Corti, 
which  is  to  all  appearance  a  musical  instrument,  with 
its  chords  so  stretched  as  to  accept  vibrations  of  differ- 
ent periods,  and  transmit  them  to  the  nerve  filaments 
which  traverse  the  organ.  Within  the  ears  of  men,  and 
without  their  knowledge  or  contrivance,  this  lute  of 
3,000  strings  has  existed  for  ages,  accepting  the  music 
of  the  outer  world,  and  rendering  it  fit  for  reception  by 
the  brain.  Each  musical  tremor  which  falls  upon  this 
organ  selects  from  its  tensioned  fibres  the  one  appro- 
priate to  its  own  pitch,  and  throws  that  fibre  into  uni- 
sonant  vibration.  And  thus,  no  matter  how  complicated 


176  MODEKN  DIABOLISM. 

the  motion  of  the  external  air  may  be,  those  microscopic 
strings  can  analyze  it  and  reveal  the  constituents  of 
which  it  is  composed."  Pp.  323-325. 

The  theory  which  I  have  received,  so  far  as  regards 
the  conveyance  of  sound  from  the  sounding  body  to  the 
outer  ear,  may  be  very  briefly  stated.  The  mode  of 
conveyance  was  precisely  illustrated  by  Prof.  Tyndall 
with  the  row  of  glass  balls.  It  is  by  a  shock  communi- 
cated from  particle  to  particle,  and  not  by  a  series  of 
condensations  and  rarefactions.  The  vibrating  body 
does  move — not  simply  condense — a  mass  of  air ;  but  this 
mass  soon  comes  to  rest,  while  the  shock  travels  on. 
Now,  I  shall  not  undertake  to  prove,  because  I  presume 
it  will  not  be  disputed,  that  if  the  particles  touch  each 
other,  as  in  the  case  of  the  glass  balls,  a  shock  travels 
with  the  same  rapidity  whether  it  is  more  or  less  violent ; 
at  least,  there  can  be  no  appreciable  difference.  And, 
which  is  merely  stating  the  same  fact,  it  travels  at  the 
same  rate  whatever  the  distance  may  be  from  the  point 
of  origin. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  apply  this  theory  to  the 
solution  of  the  various  phenomena  of  sound,  as  the  ex- 
planation would  in  most  cases  be  the  same  as  that  given 
in  the  wave  theory  ;  the  assumed  origin  of  the  sound 
being  in  each  theory  the  same.  I  will,  however,  copy 
from  Prof.  Tyndall's  work  the  account  of  one  more  ex- 
periment, made  to  demonstrate  the  wave  theory.  I  hope 
to  be  able  to  make  it  understood  without  copying  the 
engraving.  He  has  a  number  of  jars,  of  small  diameters 
and  various  lengths,  and  by  holding  a  vibrating  tuning- 
fork  over  the  mouths  of  different  jars,  so  that  the  vibra- 


NEW  THEORY  OF  SOUND.  177 

tions  are  in  a  line  with  the  axis  of  the  jar,  ascertains  that 
when  the  fork  is  held  over  one  jar  there  is  sound,  when 
held  over  a  jar  of  different  length  no  sound  is  heard. 
In  the  following  the  letter  a  designates  the  position  of 
the  prong  when  farthest  from  the  mouth  of  the  jar,  and 
b  the  position  when  nearest  the  mouth : 

•  "Our  next  question  is,  what  is  the  length  of  the 
column  of  air  which  most  powerfully  resounds  to  this 
fork?  By  measurement*  with  a  two-foot  rule  I  find  it 
to  be  thirteen  inches.  But  the  length  of  the  wave 
emitted  by  the  fork  is  fifty-two  inches ;  hence  the  length 
of  the  column  of  air  which  resounds  to  the  fork  is  equal  to 
one- fourth  of  the  length  of  the  wave  produced  by  the  fork. 
This  rule  is  general,  and  might  be  illustrated  by  any 
other  of  the  forks  instead  of  this  one. 

"  Figure,  then,  to  your  minds  the  prong,  vibrating  be- 
tween the  limits  a  and  6,  placed  over  its  resonant  jar. 
In  the  time  required  by  the  prong  to  move  from  a  to  6, 
the  condensation  which  it  produces  runs  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  jar,  is  there  reflected,  and  as  the  distance  to 
the  bottom  and  back  is  twenty-six  inches,  the  reflected 
wave  will  reach  the  prong  at  the  moment  when  it  is  on  the 
point  of  returning  from  b  to  a.  The  rarefaction  of  the 
wave  is  produced  by  the  retreat  of  the  prong  from  b  to 
a.  This  rarefaction  will  also  run  to  the  bottom  of  the 
jar  and  back,  overtaking  the  prong  just  as  it  reaches  the 
limit  a,  of  its  excursion.  It  is  plain  from  this  analysis, 
that  the  vibrations  of  the  fork  are  perfectly  synchronous 
with  the  vibrations  of  the  aerial  column ;  and  in  virtue 
of  this  synchronism  the  motion  accumulates  in  the  jar, 

•Of  the  jar. 


178  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

spreads  abroad  in  the  room,  and  produces  this  vast  aug- 
mentation of  the  sound."     Pp.  174, 175. 

By  the  wave  fifty-two  inches  in  length  is  meant  tiie 
condensation  and  rarefaction  produced  by  one  vibration ; 
the  condensation  is  one-half  of  this,  or  twenty-six  inches. 
Perhaps  the  absurdity  of  Tyndall's  idea  will  be  more 
readily  apparent  to  the  reader  by  supposing  the  vibrat- 
ing body  to  be  a  piston  working  in  the  top  of  a  cylin- 
der. The  piston  in  moving  from  a  to  b  would,  accord- 
ing to  Tyndall,  produce  a  condensation  twenty-six  inches 
in  length  if  the  cylinder  was  long  enough  ;  but  because 
the  cylinder  is  only  thirteen  inches  in  length,  the  con- 
densation runs  to  the  bottom  of  the  cylinder,  is  there 
reflected,  and  runs  up  to  the  top.  Now,  what  sense  is 
there  in  the  idea  of  the  condensation  running  to  the 
bottom  and  back  again  ?  It  seems  to  me  to  indicate  a 
strangely  muddled  condition  of  the  Professor's  intel- 
lect. If  the  condensation  would  be  twenty-six  .inches 
in  length  provided  the  cylinder  was  of  sufficient  length, 
then,  if  the  cylinder  is  only  one-half  that  length,  the  de- 
gree of  condensation  produced  will  be  twice  as  great. 
That  is  all  that  would  occur :  there  would  be  no  run- 
ning down  and  back,  or  reflection  in  the  case.  And 
the  proper  length  of  jar  for  that  tuning-fork  woiild  be 
twenty-six  inches.  At  least,  if  a  shorter  jar  gave  more 
sound,  it  could  only  be  because  the  air  became  more 
condensed ;  and,  therefore,  a  still  shorter  jar,  one  less 
than  thirteen  inches  in  length,  would  give  still  greater 
sound.  It  appears,  however,  that  Tyndall  found  thirteen 
inches  to  be  the  proper  length. 

Suppose,  now,  a  column  of  the  glass  balls,  touching 
each  other,  to  extend  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  the 


NEW  THEORY  OF  SOUND.  179 

jar,  and  that  the  prong  of  the  tuning-fork  when  at  b 
strikes  the  top  of  the  column.  Suppose,  also,  that  the 
shock  thus  communicated  to  the  top  ball  would,  if  the 
column  was  of  sufficient  length,  travel  twenty-six  inches 
while  the  prong  was  moving  from  b  to  a  ;  then  it  would, 
of  course,  travel  to  the  bottom  of  the  jar,  be  there  re- 
flected, and  again  reach  the  top  in  the  same  time. 

So  far,  this  new  theory  is  simple  enough ;  but  the 
mode  in  which  it  supposes  sound  to  be  transmitted  to 
the  brain  is  more  difficult  of  comprehension.  The  diffi- 
culty is  in  comprehending  the  functions  of  the  inner 
ear ;  and  this  difficulty  is  equally  great  upon  any  the- 
ory. The  following  description,  taken  from  Dalton's 
Physiology,  is,  I  think,  as  intelligible  as  any  I  could,  give 
without  copying  engravings : 

"  All  the  vibrations  which  are  received  by  the  mem- 
brana  tympani,  are  transmitted  by  the  chain  of  bones 
to  the  membrane  of  the  foramen  ovale.  Behind  the 
membrane  of  the  foramen  ovale  lies  the  labyrinth  or 
internal  ear.  This  consists  of  a  complicated  cavity,  ex- 
cavated in  the  petrous  portion  of  the  temporal  bone,  and 
comprising  an  ovoid  central  portion,  the  vestibule,  a 
double  spiral  canal,  the  cochlea,  and  three  semicircular 
canals,  all  communicating  by  means  of  the  common  ves- 
tibule. All  parts  of  this  cavity  contain  a  watery  fluid 
termed  the  perilymph.  The  vestibule  and  semicircular 
canals  also  contain  closed  membranous  sacs,  suspended 
in  the  fluid  of  the  perilymph,  which  reproduce  exactly 
the  form  of  the  bony  cavities  themselves,  and  commu- 
nicate with  each  other  in  a  similar  way.  These  sacs 
are  filled  with  another  watery  fluid,  the  endolymph  ;  and 


180  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  terminal  filaments  of  the  auditory  nerve  are  distrib- 
uted upon  the  membranous  sac  of  the  vestibule  and  upon 
the  ampullas,  or  membranous  dilatations,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  three  semicircular  canals.  The  re- 
maining portion  of  the  auditory  nerve  is  distributed 
upon  the  septum  between  the  two  spiral  canals  of  the 
cochlea." 

It  is  certainly  difficult  to  imagine  that  this  compli- 
cated organ  serves  merely  for  the  transmission  of  mo- 
tion; it  does  not  appear  to  be  at  all  adapted  to  that 
purpose.  Owing  to  the  difficulty  in  communicating,  I 
can  only  give,  in  my  own  language,  the  idea  I  have  re- 
ceived ;  and  the  reader  must  decide  for  himself  which 
theory  appears  the  most  probable. 

A  shock,  or  jar,  whether  communicated  to  a  living 
or  an  inanimate  body,  always  developes  electricity. 
The  internal  ear  is  an  organ  peculiarly  adapted  to  the 
sudden  development  and  discharge  of  electricity  by  per- 
cussion; so  that  the  slightest  shock  received  by  it 
causes  a  sensible  discharge.  Each  shock  communicated 
to  the  "membrane  of  the  foramen  o vale,"  and  conse 
quently  to  the  "labyrinth, "causes  an  electric  discharge 
which  is  conveyed  by  the  auditory  nerve  to  the  brain. 
The  sensation  of  sound,  then,  according  to  this  theory, 
is  produced  by  a  rapid  succession  of  electric  shocks, 
transmitted  through  the  auditory  nerve  to  the  brain. 

The  pitch  of  a  note  depends,  as  Prof.  Tyndall  states, 
upon  the  rapidity  of  vibration  ;  that  is,  upon  the  rapid- 
ity with  which  the  electric  shocks  are  received.  And 
the  quality,  or  that  by  which  we  distinguish  the  music 
of  one  instrument  from  that  of  another,  is  determined 
by  the  fact  stated  by  the  Professor,  namely,  the  minute 


NEW  THEORY  OF  SOUND.  161 

vibrations.  But  as  there  is  no  wave,  there  is  no  "  form  " 
in  the  case.  Each  minute  vibration  produces  a  distinct 
shock ;  and  it  is  the  order  of  succession  of  the  shocks 
of  different  intensity  which  determines  the  quality. 


CHAPTER  YH. 

OK  THE  DYNAMICAL  THEORY  OF  HEAT. 

PROFESSOR  TYNDALL  has  published,  under  the  title 
of  "Heat  considered  as  a  Mode  of  Motion,"  a  series  of 
lectures  delivered  in  the  Royal  Institution.  Having 
already  noticed  one  work  by  Prof.  Tyndall,  I  should 
have  preferred  here  reviewing  one  by  some  other  author, 
but  have  been  unable  to  find  such.  The  assertion  that 
heat  is  simply  a  mode  of  motion,  is  made  frequently 
enough ;  but  if  any  other  work  upon  the  theory  than 
the  above  has  been  published,  it  has  not  fallen  under 
my  notice.  And,  in  fact,  this  work  contains  very  little 
matter  purporting  to  prove,  or  demonstrate,  that  Ijeat  is 
motion.  The  following  extracts — which  I  hope  will  be 
understood  without  the  engravings — are  all  from  the 
third  lecture,  the  only  one  in  which  the  Professor  makes 
any  special  attempt  to  prove  his  theory  : 

"  Suppose  I  have  a  quantity  of  air  contained  in  a  very 
tall  cylinder,  A  B,  the  transverse  section  of  which  is 
one  square  inch  in  area.  Let  the  top  A  of  the  cylinder 
be  open  to  the  air,  and  let  P  be  a  piston,  which,  for  rea- 
sons to  be  explained  immediately,  I  will  suppose  to 
weigh  two  pounds  one  ounce,  and  which  moves  air- 
tight and  without  friction,  up  or  down  in  the  cylinder. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  experiment,  let  the  piston 


DYNAMICAL  THEOKY  OF  HEAT.  183 

be  at  the  point  P  of  the  cylinder,  and  let  the  height  of 
the  cylinder  from  its  bottom  B  to  the  point  P  be  273 
inches,  the  air  underneath  the  piston  being  at  a  temper- 
ature of  0°  C.  Then,  on  heating  the  air  from  0°  to  1° 
C.  the  piston  will  rise  one  inch ;  it  will  now  stand  at  274 
inches  above  the  bottom.  If  the  temperature  be  raised 
two  degrees,  the  piston  will  stand  at  275,  if  raised  three 
degrees  it  will  stand  at  276,  if  raised  ten  degrees  it  will 
stand  at  283,  if  one  hundred  degrees  it  will  stand  at  373 
inches  above  the  bottom;  finally,  if  the  temperature 
were  raised  to  273 Q  C.,  it  is  quite  manifest  273  inches 
would  be  added  to  the  height  of  the  column,  or,  in  other 
words,  by  heating  the  air  to  273Q  C.,  its  volume  would 
le  doubled. 

"  It  is  evident  that  the  gas  in  this  experiment  exe- 
cutes work.  In  expanding  from  P  upwards,  it  has  to 
overcome  the  downward  pressure  of  the  atmosphere, 
which  amounts  to  fifteen  pounds  on  every  square  inch, 
and  also  the  weight  of  the  piston  itself,  which  is  two 
pounds  one  ounce.  Hence,  the  section  of  the  cylinder 
being  one  square  inch  in  area,  in  expanding  from  P  to 
P'  the  work  done  by  the  gas  is  equivalent  to  the  raising 
a  weight  of  seventeen  pounds  one  ounce,  or  273  ounces, 
to  a  height  of  273  inches.  It  is  just  the  same  as  what 
it  would  accomplish  if  the  air  above  P  were  entirely 
abolished,  and  a  piston  weighing  seventeen  pounds  one 
ounce  were  placed  at  P. 

"  Let  us  now  alter  our  mode  of  experiment,  and  in- 
stead of  allowing  our  gas  to  expand  when  heated,  let  us 
oppose  its  expansion  by  augmenting  the  pressure  upon 
it  In  other  words,  let  us  keep  its  volume  constant  while 
it  is  being  heated.  Suppose,  as  before,  the  initial  tern- 


184  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

perature  of  the  gas  to  be  0°  C.,  the  pressure  upon  it, 
including  the  weight  of  the  piston  P,  being,  as  formerly, 
273  ounces.  Let  us  warm  the  gas  from  0°  C.  to  1°  C. ; 
what  weight  must  we  add  to  P  in  order  to  keep  its  vol- 
ume constant?  Exactly  one  ounce.  But  we  have  sup- 
posed the  gas,  at  the  commencement,  to  be  under  a  press- 
ure of  273  ounces,  and  the  pressure  it  sustains  is  the 
measure  of  its  elastic  force ;  hence,  by  being  heated  one 
degree,  the  elastic  force  of  the  gas  has  augmented  by 
•2-^-g-  of  what  it  possessed  at  0Q.  If  we  warm  it  2°,  two 
ounces  must  be  added.  And  if  we  raise  its  temperature 
273Q,  we  should  have  to  add  273  ounces ;  that  is,  we 
should  have  to  double  the  original  pressure  to  keep  the 
volume  constant. 

"  It  is  simply  for  the  sake  of  clearness,  and  to  avoid 
fractions  in  our  reflections,  that  I  have  supposed  the 
gas  to  be  under  the  original  pressure  of  273  ounces. 
No  matter  what  its  pressure  may  be,  the  addition  of  1Q 
C.  to  its  temperature  produces  an  augmentation  of  -3-7  g- 
of  the  elastic  force  which  the  gas  possesses  at  the  freez- 
ing temperature ;  and  by  raising  its  temperature  273°, 
while  its  volume  is  kept  constant,  its  elastic  force  is 
doubled.  Let  us  now  compare  this  experiment  with 
the  last  one.  There  we  heated  a  certain  amount  of  gas 
from  0°  to  273°,  and  doubled  its  volume  by  so  doing, 
the  double  volume  being  attained  while  the  gas  lifted  a 
weight  of  273  ounces  to  a  height  of  273  inches.  Here 
we  heat  the  same  amount  of  gas  from  0°  to  273°,  but 
we  do  not  permit  it  to  lift  any  weight  We  keep  its 
volume  constant  The  quantity  of  matter  heated  in 
both  cases  is  the  same ;  the  temperature  to  which  it  is 
heated  is  in  both  cases  the  same;  but  are  the  absolute 


DYNAMICAL  THEORY  OF  HEAT.  185 

quantities  of  heat  imparted  in  both  cases  the  same  ?  By 
no  means.  Supposing  that  to  raise  the  temperature  of 
the  gas,  whose  volume  is  kept  constant,  273°,  ten  grains 
of  combustible  matter  are  necessary ;  then  to  raise  the 
temperature  of  the  gas  whose  pressure  is  kept  constant 
an  equal  number  of  degrees,  would  require  the  con- 
sumption of  fourteen  and  one-quarter  grains  of  the  same 
combustible  matter.  The  heat  produced  by  the  consump 
tion  of  the  additional  four  and  one-quarter  grains,  in  the 
latter  case,  is  entirely  consumed  in  lifting  the  weight" 

The  deduction,  stated  in  the  closing  sentence,  is  all 
that  I  have  any  occasion  to  notice.  This  is  about  as 
silly  as  that  from  the  experiment  with  the  tin  tube  in 
the  lecture  on  sound.  -If  there  had  been  no  weight 
whatever  upon  the  gas  in  the  latter  case,  or  if  the  pis- 
ton had  been  raised  by  some  external  force,  and  the  gas 
permitted  to  expand  without  lifting  an  ounce,  then  to 
raise  the  temperature  to  273°  would  have  required  pre- 
cisely the  same  additional  amount  of  combustible  mat- 
ter over  that  required  in  the  former  case.  The  cause 
of  this  is  that  the  capacity  for  heat  of  the  gas  is  incre^ed 
by  expansion ;  a  fact  almost  as  well  known,  and  as  long 
known,  as  any  phenomenon  connected  with  heat. 

"  Let  us  now  check  our  conclusions  regarding  the  in- 
fluence which  the  performance  of  work  has  on  the  quan- 
tity of  heat  communicated  to  the  gas.  Is  it  possible  to 
allow  a  gas  to  expand  without  performing  work  ?  This 
question  is  answered  by  the  following  important  experi- 
ment, which  was  first  made  by  Gay  Lussac.  I  have 
here  two  copper  vessels,  A,  B,  of  the  same  size,  one  of 
which,  A,  is  exhausted,  and  the  other,  B,  filled  with  air. 
I  turn  the  cock  C ;  the  air  rushes  out  of  B  into  A,  until 


186  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  same  pressure  exists  in  both  vessels.  Now  the  air, 
in  driving  its  own  particles  out  of  B,  performs  work,  and 
experiments  which  we  have  already  made  inform  us, 
that  the  residue  of  air  which  remains  in  B  must  be 
chilled.  The  particles  of  air  enter  A  with  a  certain 
velocity,  to  generate  which  the  heat  of  the  air  in  B  has 
been  sacrificed ;  but  they  immediately  strike  against  the 
interior  surface  of  A,  their  motion  of  translation  is  an- 
nihilated, and  the  exact  quantity  of  heat  lost  by  B  ap- 
pears in  A.  Mix  the  contents  of  A  and  B  together, 
and  you  have  air  of  the  original  temperature.  There 
is  no  work  performed,  and  there  is  no  heat  lost" 

This  is  called  an  important  experiment  Now,  the 
idea  which  most  persons  have  of  an  experiment  is,  that 
it  is  performed  to  ascertain  or  demonstrate  something  ; 
this  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  It  was  not  even  shown 
that  the  air  rushed  out  of  B  into  A ;  though  I  think  we 
may  assume  that  such  would  be  the  fact,  because  this 
has  been  demonstrated  by  other  experiments.  But  the 
succeeding  idiotic  statements  of  the  Professor  were  not 
confirmed  by  merely  turning  "  the  cock  C,"  which  ap- 
pears to  be  all  that  was  done.  He  says  the  heat  lost  by 
B  appears  in  A ;  but  he  made  no  attempt  to  show  that 
such  was  the  fact  And  what  could  the  man  have 
meant  by  such  a  statement,  or  by  the  statement  that  if 
the  contents  of  the  two  vessels  were  mixed  together  the 
air  would  be  of  the  original  temperature?  The  truth 
evidently  is,  that  the  Professor  had  somehow  got  the 
idea  in  his  muddled  brain  that  this  was  a  "  scientific  " 
theory,  but  had  no  clear  conception,  or  definite  idea  of 
what  he  was  talking  about  To  perceive  any  sense  in 
the  paragraph,  it  would  be  necessary  to  assume  that  the 


DYNAMICAL  THEORY  OF  HEAT.  187 

air  in  A  became  actually  warmer  than  before  the  expan- 
sion occurred.  But  every  one  of  ordinary  education 
knows  that  the  air  in  both  vessels  would  become  alike 
cooled ;  and,  therefore,  that  if  mixed  together,  no  change 
of  temperature  would  occur.  If  the  contents  of  both 
vessels  were  again  condensed  into  one,  the  air  would  re- 
turn to  its  original  temperature.  But  to  assume  that 
the  Professor  meant  condense  when  he  said  mix  would 
be  to  assume  that  he  does  not  understand  the  English 
language  ;  besides,  this  would  make  the  paragraph  ut- 
terly meaningless.  No  heat  was  "lost"  in  this  case, 
and  none  is  lost  by  air  which  performs  "work."  If  in 
the  latter  case  the  air  was  condensed  to  its  original  vol- 
ume, it  would  regain  its  original  temperature ;  assum- 
ing, of  course,  that  no  heat  was  subtracted  by  contact 
with  colder  surfaces. 

"Mr.  Joule  made  this  experiment  by  compressing 
twenty-two  atmospheres  of  air  into  one  of  his  vessels, 
while  the  other  was  exhausted.  On  surrounding  both 
vessels  by  water,  kept  properly  agitated,  no  augmenta- 
tion of  temperature  was  observed  in  the  water,  when  the 
gas  was  allowed  to  stream  from  one  vessel  into  the 
other." 

I  can  readily  believe  that  Instead  of  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  water  being  augmented,  it  would,  of  course, 
be  decreased  by  the  operation.  The  air  would  be  cooled 
by  the  expansion,  and  would  then  extract  heat  from  the 
water ;  assuming  that  the  air  and  water  were  at  the  same 
temperature  before  the  expansion  occurred.  I  know 
nothing  about  Mr.  Joule,  but  is  it  possible  that  there  is, 
or  has  recently  been,  living  in  England,  another  philos- 
opher besides  Tyndall  who  would  make  an  experiment 


188  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

to  ascertain  whether  the  expansion  of  air  surrounded  by 
water  heated  the  water  ?  I  had  supposed  that  every  one 
of  ordinary  information  knew  that  the  expansion  of  air 
cooled  it,  and  that  it  would  extract  heat  from  any  body 
warmer  than  itself  placed  in  contact  with  it 

I  suppose  Tyndall's  idea  must  have  been  this :  In 
this  experiment  the  air  performed  no  work,  consequently 
it  lost  no  heat ;  and  the  fact  that  the  water  gained  no 
heat  proves  that  the  air  lost  none.  No  theory  of  heat 
with  which  I  am  familiar,  assumes  that  the  air  would 
lose  heat  in  such  a  case.  The  caloric  theory,  as  it  is 
called,  does  not ;  it  simply  assumes  that  the  heat  be- 
comes less  sensible,  and  that  if  the  air  was  condensed 
to  its  original  volume  it  would  be  as  warm  as  before. 
In  the  illustration  of  the  cylinder,  where  the  expanding 
air  lifted  a  weight,  it  performed  "work."  In  this  case 
heat  was  added  to  the  air.  But  let  us  suppose  a  body 
of  compressed  air  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  cylinder. 
The  air  would,  by  expansion,  lift  a  weight  to  the  top 
of  the  cylinder  without  any  heat  being  added  to  it; 
though,  of  course,  a  less  weight  than  if  heat  was  added. 
According  to  Tyndall's  theory,  if  the  cylinder  in  this 
case  was  surrounded  with  water  of  the  temperature  of 
the  air  before  it  commenced  expanding,  the  water  would 
gain  heat,  because  the  air  performs  work,  and  therefore 
loses  heat.  But  the  well-known  fact  is,  that  the  water 
would  lose  heat,  instead  of  gaining.  Tyndall  admits 
that  in  such  a  case  the  air  would  become  cooled ;  and 
every  one  knows  that  if  two  bodies  of  unequal  tempera- 
ture are  placed  in  contact  the  colder  will  extract  heat 
from  the  warmer  until  both  become  of  the  same  tempera- 
ture. 


DYNAMICAL  THEORY  OF  HEAT.  189 

But  look  at  the  incoherency  of  the  Professor's  ideas, 
viewed  upon  his  own  theory.  The  heat  of  a  body,  ac- 
cording to  his  theory,  is  simply  motion  of  the  particles 
of  the  body.  By  losing  heat,  must  be  meant,  that  the 
particles  lose  their  motion,  or  that  their  motion  becomes 
less  violent.  Tyndall's  idea,  then,  must  be  that  air  in 
lifting  a  weight  loses  heat  because  the  pressure  of  the 
weight  upon  the  particles  reduces  their  motion.  Now, 
can  any  sane  man  imagine  how  the  reduction  of  the  mo- 
tion of  the  particles  of  the  air  by  the  pressure  of  the 
weight  would  increase  the  motion  of  the  particles  of  the 
water  surrounding  the  air  ?  If  the  theory  assumed  that 
when  two  bodies  of  unequal  temperature  are  placed  in 
contact,  the  warmer  body  will  gain  heat  from  the  colder 
one,  then  it  might  be  assumed  that  the  water  in  such  a 
case  would  gain  heat,  but  not  otherwise. 

"  In  like  manner,  supposing  the  top  of  the  cylinder* 
to  be  closed,  and  the  half  above  the  piston  a  perfect 
vacuum ;  and  suppose  the  air  in  the  lower  half  to  be 
heated  273°,  its  volume  being  kept  constant  If  the  press- 
ure were  removed  the  air  would  expand  and  fill  the 
cylinder;  the  lower  portion  of  the  column  would  thereby 
be  chilled,  but  the  upper  portion  would  be  heated,  and 
mixing  both  portions  together,  we  should  have  the  whole 
column  at  a  temperature  of  278°.  In  this  case  we  raise 
the  temperature  of  the  gas  from  0°  to  273°,  and  after- 
wards allow  it  to  double  its  volume;  the  state  of  the 
gas  at  the  commencement,  and  at  the  end,  is  the  same 
as  when  the  gas  expands  against  a  constant  pressure,  or 
lifts  a  constant  weight;  but  the  absolute  quantity  of 

•  Eeferring  to  former  illustration. 


190  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

heat  in  the  latter  case  is  1  421  times  that  employed  in 
the  former,  the  difference  being  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
gas,  in  the  one  case,  performs  mechanical  work,  and  in 
the  other  not" 

This,  again,  is  positively  idiotic.  The  Professor  here 
states  plainly,  that  when  a  column  of  air  expands,  the 
upper  portion  becomes  warmer,  so  that,  although  the 
lower  portion  is  chilled,  the  mean  temperature  remains 
the  same.  My  readers,  at  least  those  who  are  not  pro- 
fessors of  natural  philosophy,  must  know  that  the  whole 
column  would  be  cooled,  and  cooled  in  the  same  degree. 
And  it  makes  not  the  slightest  difference  whether  the 
air  does,  or  does  not,  lift  a  weight ;  the  degree  of  refrig- 
eration produced  by  the  expansion  is  in  each  case  pre- 
cisely the  same ;  and  it  would  require,  in  each  case,  pre- 
cisely the  same  amount  of  heat  to  raise  the  temperature 
of  the  expanded  air  to  any  given  point 

"  We  are  taught  by  this  experiment  that  mere  rare- 
faction is  not  of  itself  sufficient  to  produce  a  lowering 
of  the  mean  temperature  of  a  mass  of  air.  It  was,  and 
is  still,  a  current  notion,  that  the  mere  expansion  of  a 
gas  produced  refrigeration,  no  matter  how  that  expan- 
sion was  effected.  The  coldness  of  the  higher  atmos- 
pheric regions  was  accounted  for  by  reference  to  the  ex- 
pansion of  the  air.  It  was  thought  that  what  we  have 
called  the  '  capacity  for  heat '  was  greater  in  the  case 
of  the  rarefied  than  of  the  unrarefied  gas.  But  the  re- 
frigeration which  accompanies  expansion  is,  in  reality, 
due  to  the  consumption  of  heat  in  the  performance  of 
work  by  the  expanding  gas.  "Where  no  work  is  per- 
formed there  is  no  absolute  refrigeration." 

This  is  another  of  the  Professor's   "experiments." 


DYNAMICAL   THEORY  OF   HEAT.  191 

In  this  case  lie  did  not  even  do  as  much  as  in  the  "  im- 
portant experiment,"  where  "  the  cock  C  "  was  turned  ; 
at  least  I  infer  it  was.  How  "  we  are  taught "  any- 
thing by  an  experiment,  where  no  experiment  is  per- 
formed, I  fail  to  perceive.  Speaking  for  myself,  I  do 
not  feel  as  though  I  had  been  "taught"  much.  If  the 
Professor  had  permitted  a  column  of  air  to  expand,  as 
supposed,  tested  with  a  thermometer  the  temperature 
of  the  air  before  expansion,  and  that  of  the  upper 
portion  of  the  column  after  expansion,  this  would  have 
been  an  experiment ;  and  this  would  have  shown  him 
that  the  upper  portion  was  cooled  by  the  expansion, 
for  this  kind  of  an  experiment  has  been  often  made. 
It  is,  and  I  hope  will  continue  to  be,  with  all  but  a  few 
crack-brained  professors  like  this  one,  "  a  current  no- 
tion "  that  expansion  produces  refrigeration,  whether 
"  work  "  is  performed  or  not 

And  look  again  at  the  incoherency  of  the  Professor. 
The  upper  portion  of  the  atmosphere,  according  to  him, 
becomes  cooled  by  expansion,  while  the  upper  portion 
of  air  in  a  cylinder  becomes  heated  from  the  same  cause. 
For  all  the  air  in  the  cylinder  performs  precisely  the 
same  kind  of  "  work "  that  the  upper  portion  of  the 
atmosphere  does. 

As  I  have  already  stated,  if  heat  is  simply  a  motion 
of  the  particles  of  a  body,  and  expansion  does  not  pro- 
duce refrigeration  unless  a  weight  is  lifted,  then  it  must 
be  that  the  pressure  upon  the  particles  impedes  their 
motion,  and  brings  them  to  a  state  of  rest,  or  of  less  vio- 
lent motion.  No  meaning  or  coherence  can  be  perceived 
in  the  theory  unless  this  is  the  assumption.  But  if  this 
were  true,  then  the  greater  the  weight,  or  pressure,  the 


192  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

more  rapid  would  be  the  refrigeration.  A  weight  which 
a  column  of  air  could  not  lift  would  bring  the  particles 
to  a  state  of  rest  sooner  than  one  which  it  could  lift  In 
other  words,  if  a  column  of  heated  air  was  prevented 
from  expanding,  it  would,  according  to  this  theory,  cool 
more  rapidly  than  if  expansion  was  permitted,  whether 
it  lifted  a  weight  or  not 

The  preceding  twaddle  is  followed  by  this  exhortation, 
which  closes  the  lecture  : — "  All  this  needs  reflection  to 
arrive  at  clearness,  but  every  effort  of  this  kind  which 
you  make  will  render  your  subsequent  efforts  easier, 
and  should  you  fail,  at  present,  to  gain  clearness  of 
comprehension,  I  repeat  my  recommendation  of  patience. 
Do  not  quit  this  portion  of  the  subject  without  an  effort 
to  comprehend  it — wrestle  with  it  for  a  time,  but  do  not 
despair  if  you  fail  to  arrive  at  clearness." 

Wrestle  with  it !  One  might  as  profitably  "  wrestle  " 
with  Andrew  Jackson  Davis'  theory  of  the  tides,  which 
I  have  given  at  the  close  of  the  fifth  chapter. 

Professor  Tyndall  is  one  of  those  wonderfully  "  scien- 
tific "  men,  who  know,  without  examination,  that  all 
the  phenomena  called  by  some  spiritual,  are  mere  jug- 
glery. Or,  perhaps  they  will  visit  a  medium  once  or 
twice,  and  then  explain  the  "  whole  thing ; "  while  to 
common  people,  like  myself,  after  the  most  careful  and 
cautious  examination,  the  phenomena  remain  a  profound 
mystery. 

In  a  work  by  Prof.  Tyndall,  entitled  "  Fragments  of 
Science  for  Unscientific  People,"  there  is  an  article 
under  the  heading  of  "Science  and  the  Spirits" — 
Science  being  represented  by  Tyndall — giving  an  ac- 


DYNAMICAL  THEORY  OP  HEAT.  193 

count  of  a  seance  where  an  attempt  was  made  to  investigate 
the  subject  by,  as  stated,  "a  scientific  man,"  namely, 
Tyndall.  I  have  here  given  all  the  "  science  "  there  is 
in  the  article ;  why  it  was  published,  since  it  does  not 
give  a  particle  of  information,  no  one  but  "  a  scientific 
man,"  like  Tyndall — and  just  such  an  one — can  per- 
ceive. However,  Tyndall  got  under  the  table  to  see 
how  the  raps  were  made ;  and  he  states  that  he  arose 
from  under  that  table  with  a  despair  for  humanity,  such 
as  he  never  felt  before.  Here  the  Professor  leaves  us  in 
the  dark ;  as  to  what  caused  such  great  depression  he 
does  not  give  the  slightest  hint ;  it  is  enough  that  "  a 
scientific  man  "  arose  from  under  that  table  with  despair 
for  humanity.  This  leads  me  to  the  repetition  of  a  remark 
which  I  have  read  several  times,  namely,  that  this  is  a 
melancholy  and  despairing  world !  Prof  Tyndall  de- 
spairs because  "unscientific  people"  will  believe  the 
evidence  of  their  senses  against  the  assertions  of  "  scien- 
tific men"  like  himself;  while  the  reflection  that  such 
humbugs  are  considered  scientific  men  has  upon  my 
mind  an  equally  depressing  effect. 


CHAPTER 

ON  THE   UNDULATORY  THEORY  OF  LIGHT 

IN  the  Encyclopedia  Metropolitana,  I  find  the  follow- 
ing definitions  of  the  corpuscular  and  undulaiory  theories 
of  light,  by  Sir  J.  F.  W.  Herschel : 

"  The  Newtonian,  or  Corpuscular  Theory. 

"  Postula  1.  That  light  consists  of  particles  of  matter 
possessed  of  inertia  and  endowed  with  attractive  and  re- 
pulsive forces,  and  projected  or  emitted  from  all  lumi- 
nous bodies  with  nearly  the  same  velocity,  about  200,000 
miles  per  second. 

"  2.  That  these  particles  differ  from  each  other  in  the 
intensity  of  the  attractive  and  repulsive  forces  which  re- 
side in  them,  and  in  their  relations  to  the  other  bodies 
of  the  material  world,  and  also  in  their  actual  masses,  or 
inertia. 

"  3.  That  these  particles,  impinging  on  the  retina, 
stimulate  it  and  excite  vision.  The  particles  whose 
inertia  is  greatest  producing  the  sensation  of  red,  those 
of  least  inertia  of  violet,  and  those  in  which  it  is  inter- 
mediate the  intermediate  colors. 

"  4.  That  the  molecules  of  material  bodies,  and  those 
of  light,  exert  a  mutual  action  on  each  other,  which  con 
sists  in  attraction  and  repulsion,  according  to  some  law 


UNDULATORY  THEORY   OF   LIGHT.  195 

or  function  of  the  distance  between  them ;  that  this  law 
is  such  as  to  admit,  perhaps,  of  several  alternations,  or 
changes  from  repulsive  to  attractive  force;  but  that 
when  the  distance  is  below  a  certain  very  small  limit  it 
is  always  attractive  up  to  actual  contact ;  and  that  be- 
yond this  limit  resides  at  least  one  sphere  of  repulsion. 
This  repulsive  sphere  is  that  which  causes  the  reflexion 
of  light  at  the  external  surfaces  of  dense  media ;  and  the 
interior  attraction  that  which  produces  the  refraction  and 
interior  reflexion  of  light 

"  5.  That  the  forces  have  different  absolute  values,  or 
intensities,  not  only  for  all  different  material  bodies,  but 
for  every  different  species  of  the  luminous  molecules, 
being  of  a  nature  analogous  to  chemical  affinities,  or 
electric  attractions,  and  that  hence  arises  the  different 
refrangibility  of  the  rays  of  light 

"  6.  That  the  motion  of  a  particle  of  light  under  the 
influence  of  these  forces  and  its  own  velocity  is  regulated 
by  the  same  mechanical  laws  which  govern  the  motions 
of  ordinary  matter,  and  that  therefore  each  particle  de- 
scribes a  trajectory  capable  of  strict  calculation  so  soon 
as  the  forces  which  act  on  it  are  assigned. 

"  7.  That  the  distance  between  the  molecules  of 
material  bodies  is  exceedingly  small  in  comparison  with 
the  extent  of  their  spheres  of  attraction  and  repulsion  on 
the  particles  of  light.  And 

"  8.  That  the  forces  which  produce  the  reflexion  and 
refraction  of  light  are,  nevertheless,  absolutely  insensible 
at  all  measurable  or  appreciable  distances  from  the 
molecules  which  exert  them. 

"  9.  That  every  luminous  molecule,  during  the  whole 
of  its  progress  through  space,  is  continually  passing 


196  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

through  certain  periodically  recurring  states,  called  by 
Newton  fits  of  easy  reflexion  and  easy  transmission,  in 
virtue  of  which  (from  whatever  cause  arising,  whether 
from  a  rotation  of  the  molecules  on  their  axes,  and  the 
consequent  alternate  presentation  of  attractive  and  re- 
pulsive poles,  or  from  any  other  conceivable  cause)  they 
are  more  disposed,  when  in  the  former  states  or  phases 
of  their  periods,  to  obey  the  impulse  of  the  repulsive  or 
reflective  forces  of  the  molecules  of  a  medium ;  and 
when  in  the  latter,  of  the  attractive." 

This  theory  has  now,  I  believe,  no  advocates ;  and  I 
copy  these  definitions  merely  for  the  purpose  of  letting 
the  reader  perceive  wherein  it  agrees  with,  and  wherein 
it  differs  from,  that  which  I  have  received. 

"  The  Undulatory  Theory. 

"1.  That  an  excessively  rare,  subtle  and  elastic 
medium,  or  ether,  fills  all  space,  and  pervades  all 
material  bodies,  occupying  the  intervals  between  their 
molecules ;  and  either  by  passing  freely  among  them,  or 
by  its  extreme  rarity,  offering  no  resistance  to  the  mo- 
tion of  the  earth,  the  planets  or  comets  in  their  orbits 
appreciable  by  the  most  delicate  astronomical  observa- 
tions ;  and  having  inertia  but  not  gravity. 

"  2.  That  the  molecules  of  the  ether  are  susceptible 
of  being  set  in  motion  by  the  agitation  of  the  particles 
of  ponderable  matter;  and  that  when  any  one  is  thus 
set  in  motion  it  communicates  a  similar  motion  to  those 
adjacent  to  it,  and  thus  the  motion  is  propagated  farther 
and  farther  in  all  directions,  according  to  the  same 
mechanical  laws  which  regulate  the  propagation  of 


UNDULATOEY  THEOEY   OF  LIGHT.  197 

undulations  in  other  elastic  media,  as  air,  water  or  solids, 
according  to  their  respective  constitutions. 

"  3.  That  in  the  interior  of  refracting  media  the  ether 
exists  in  a  state  of  less  elasticity,  compared  with  its 
density,  than  in  vacuo ;  i.  &,  in  space  empty  of  all  other 
matter ;  and  that  the  more  refractive  the  medium,  the 
less,  relatively  speaking,  is  the  elasticity  of  the  ether  in 
its  interior. 

"  4.  That  vibrations  communicated  to  the  ether  in 
free  space  are  propagated  through  refractive  media  by 
means  of  the  ether  in  their  interior,  but  with  a  velocity 
corresponding  to  its  inferior  degree  of  elasticity. 

"  5.  That  when  regular  vibratory  motions  of  a  proper 
kind  are  propagated  through  the  ether,  and  passing 
through  our  eyes,  reach  and  agitate  the  nerves  of  the 
retina,  they  produce  in  us  the  sensation  of  light,  in  a 
manner  having  a  more  or  less  close  analogy  to  that  in 
which  the  vibrations  of  the  air  affect  the  auditory  nerves 
with  that  of  sound. 

"  6.  That  as  in  the  doctrine  of  sound,  the  frequency 
of  the  aerial  pulses,  or  the  number  of  excursions  to  and 
fro,  from  the  point  of  rest,  made  by  each  molecule  of 
the  air,  determines  the  pitch  or  note,  so,  in  the  theory 
of  light,  the  frequency  of  the  pulses,  or  number  of  im- 
pulses made  on  our  nerves  in  a  given  time  by  the  ethe- 
real molecules  next  in  contact  with  them,  determines 
the  color  of  the  light ;  and  that  as  the  absolute  extent 
of  the  motion  to  and  fro  of  the  particles  of  air  deter- 
mines the  loudne&s  of  the  sound,  so  the  amplitude  or  ex- 
tent of  the  excursions  of  the  ethereal  molecules  from 
their  points  of  rest  determines  the  brightness  or  intensity 
of  the  light" 


198  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

After  stating  the  doctrine  that,  "  supposing  the  elastic 
medium  uniform  and  homogeneous,  all  motions  of  what- 
ever kind  are  propagated  through  it  in  all  directions 
with  one  and  the  same  uniform  velocity,"  Herschel 
makes  the  following  comment : 

"  Now,  here  arises,  in  limine,  a  great  difficulty ;  and 
it  must,  not  be  dissembled  that  it  is  impossible  not  to 
look  at  it  as  a  most  formidable  objection  to  the  undula- 
tory  doctrina  It  will  be  shown  presently  that  the  de- 
viation of  light  by  refraction  is  a  consequence  of  the 
difference  of  its  velocities  within  and  without  the  re- 
fracting medium,  and  that  when  these  velocities  are 
given  the  amount  of  deviation  is  also  given.  Hence  it 
would  appear  to  follow  unavoidably,  that  rays  of  all 
colors  must  be  in  all  cases  equally  refracted ;  and  that, 
therefore,  there  could  exist  no  such  phenomenon  as  dis- 
persion. Dr.  Young  has  attempted  to  gloss  over  this 
difficulty,  by  calling  in  to  his  assistance  the  vibrations 
of  the  ponderable  matter  of  the  refracting  medium  it- 
self, as  modifying  the  velocity  of  the  ethereal  undula- 
tions within  it,  and  that  differently  according  to  their 
frequency,  and  thus  producing  a  difference  in  the  ve- 
locity of  propagation  of  the  different  colors ;  but  to  us 
it  appears  with  more  ingenuity  than  success.  We  hold 
it  better  to  state  it  at  once  in  its  broadest  terms,  and  call 
on  the  reader  to  suspend  his  condemnation  of  the  doc- 
trine for  what  it  apparently  will  not  explain,  till  he  has 
become  acquainted  with  the  immense  variety  and  com- 
plication of  the  phenomena  which  it  will  The  fact  is, 
that  neither  the  corpuscular  nor  the  undulatory,  nor  any 
other  system  which  has  yet  been  devised,  will  furnish 


UNDULATORY  THEORY  OF  LIGHT.       199 

that  complete  and  satisfactory  explanation  of  all  the 
phenomena  of  light  which  is  desirable." 

In  a  more  recent  work  I  find  it  stated  as  a  compara- 
tively modern  discovery,  that  the  velocity  of  propaga- 
tion varies  with  the  length  of  the  wave,  being  greatest 
for  the  longer  ones,  and  least  for  the  shorter ;  and  this 
discovery,  the  writer  thought,  removed  the  objection 
stated  by  Herschel.  Whether  this  reputed  discovery 
has  been  fully  confirmed,  or  supposed  to  have  been,  or 
not,  I  am  unable  to  state.  Of  course  there  could  be  no 
truth  in  it  if  Herschel's  doctrine  that,  in  a  homogeneous 
medium,  all  motions  are  propagated  with  equal  velocity, 
was  correct ;  but  it  appears  to  me  certain  that  upon  this 
point  Herschel  was  entirely,  and  unaccountably,  mis- 
taken. 

The  explanation  given  by  Herschel  of  the  fact  that 
light  transmitted  through  a  prism  exhibits  colors — the 
prismatic  spectrum — while  that  transmitted  through  a 
plate  of  glass  having  parallel  sides  does  not,  appears  to 
me  unsatisfactory.  The  explanation  is,  in  brief,  that  in 
the  latter  case,  the  light,  which  is  decomposed  by  the 
first  surface,  is  recomposed  by  the  second  surface. 
Each  undulation  suffers  the  same  degree  of  refraction 
by  the  second  surface  as  by  the  first,  and  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  therefore,  on  leaving  the  second  surface 
the  undulations  are  propagated  parallel  to  each  other, 
and  the  light  is  thus  recomposed.  Now,  if  the  colors 
are  separated  by  the  first  surface,  if  the  red  waves  are 
refracted  to  one  side  of  the  beam  of  light,  and  the  violet 
to  the  other  side,  they  must  remain  separated  on  leaving 
the  second  surface,  although  they  proceed  parallel  to 
each  other.  But  it  is  said  all  the  colors  are  not  trans- 


200  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

posed,  or  separated,  by  the  first  surface.  Then  they  are 
not  all  separated  by  a  prism.  The  degree  of  separation, 
or  decomposition,  effected  by  a  prism  would  be  greater 
than  that  effected  by  a  plate  of  glass  having  parallel 
sides ;  and,  therefore,  in  the  former  case  the  colors 
would  be  more  distinct ;  but  the  fact  that  in  the  latter 
case  the  light  appears  entirely  colorless  is  not  explained 
by  this  theory. 

Sir  David  Brewster,  in  his  Treatise  on  Optics,  gives  the 
same  explanation  as  Herschel,  of  the  effect  of  the  two 
surfaces  of  a  plate  of  glass  having  parallel  sides ;  and 
demonstrates  the  theory,  as,  he  thinks,  by  the  following 
experiment : 

"  The  refraction  and  re-union  of  the  rays  in  this  ex- 
periment may  be  well  exhibited  by  placing  a  thick  plate 
of  oil  of  cassia  between  two  parallel  plates  of  glass,  and 
making  a  narrow  beam  of  the  sun's  light  fall  upon  it 
very  obliquely.  The  spectrum  formed  by  the  action 
of  the  first  surface  will  be  distinctly  visible,  and  the 
re-union  of  the  colors  by  the  second  will  be  equally  dis- 
tinct We  may,  therefore,  consider  the  action  of  a  plate 
of  parallel  glass  on  the  sun's  rays  passing  obliquely 
through  it,  that  is,  its  property  of  transmitting  them 
colorless,  as  a  sufficient  proof  of  the  recomposition  of 
light" 

This  is  rather  loose  language  for  a  scientific  treatise. 
No  re-union  of  the  rays  by  the  second  surface  can  be 
perceived ;  all  that  can  properly  be  said  is,  that  the 
light  which  passes  through  the  parallel  sides  appears 
colorless.  But  how  could  Sir  David  perceive  the  spec- 
trum formed,  as  he  thought,  by  the  first  surface  ?  There 
is  no  possibility  of  perceiving  the  action  of  the  first  sur- 


UNDULATOEY  THEORY  OF  LIGHT.  201 

face ;  for  the  light  which  enters  the  eye  must  pass 
through  two  surfaces.  I  presume  that  Sir  David,  in 
viewing  the  spectrum,  let  the  beam  of  light  fall  upon 
the  side  of  the  plate,  and  viewed  the  first  surface 
through  the  top,  or  edge,  of  the  plate.  The  light  which 
entered  his  eyes,  had,  therefore,  passed  through  what 
was  practically  a  prism  ;  and  the  experiment  demon- 
strated nothing,  except  that  light  passed  through  a  prism 
exhibits  colors  while  that  passed  through  parallel  sur- 
faces does  not* 

I  cannot,  of  course,  within  the  limits  of  a  single  chap- 
ter, undertake  a  general  examination  of  this  theory ; 
but  will  notice  what  is,  I  believe,  considered  one  of  its 
strongest  evidences,  and  state  what  I  think  the  most 
valid  objections.  The  ethereal  undulations  have  been 
compared  to  those  of  a  stretched  cord ;  and  an  assemblage 
of  stretched  cords  through  which  undulations  in  all  planes, 
and  of  different  lengths,  are  propagated,  will  give  an 
idea  of  what  is  meant  in  this  theory  by  a  ray  of  light 
The  discovery,  as  is  thought,  of  the  interference  of  light, 
is  considered  one  of  the  strongest  evidences  of  the  truth 
of  the  theory  ;  and  this  reputed  discovery  appears  to  be 
a  deduction  from  an  experiment  by  Dr.  Young.  The 
following  is  from  Herschel's  Treatise : 

"  Dr.  Young  passed  a  sunbeam  through  a  hole  made 

*  When  the  above  was  written,  I  thought  the  phenomena  referred 
to  could  not  be  explained  upon  the  undulatory  theory.  I  should 
still  think  so  if  there  was  no  other  explanation  than  that  given  by 
Herschel  and  Brewstcr,  and  therefore  have  not  cancelled  the  criticism. 
But  the  theory  I  have  since  received  explains  the  refraction  in  each 
case  in  the  same  way.  The  explanation  of  the  fact  that  no  colors 
are  distinguished  in  the  case  of  the  parallel  sides  is,  however,  en- 
tirely different. 


202  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

with  a  fine  needle  in  thick  paper,  and  brought  into  the 
diverging  beam  a  slip  of  card  one-thirtieth  of  an  inch 
in  breadth,  and  observed  its  shadow  on  a  white  screen  ?,t 
different  distances.  The  shadow  was  divided  by  parallel 
bands,  but  the  central  line  was  always  white.  That 
these  bands  originated  in  the  interference  of  the  light 
passing  on  both  sides  of  the  card  Dr.  Young  demon- 
strated by  simply  intercepting  the  light  passing  on  one 
side  by  a  screen,  leaving  the  rays  on  the  other  side  to 
pass  freely.  In  this  arrangement,  all  the  fringes  which 
had  before  existed  in  the  shadow  disappeared." 

The  following  is  Herschel's  explanation  of  interference: 
"  If  two  waves  arrive  at  once  at  the  same  molecule  of 
the  ether,  that  molecule  will  receive  at  once  both  the 
motions  it  would  have  had  in  virtue  of  each  separately, 
and  its  resultant  motion  will,  therefore,  be  the  diagonal 
of  a  parallelogram  whose  sides  are  the  separate  ones.  If, 
therefore,  the  two  component  motions  agree  in  direction 
or  very  nearly  so,  the  resultant  will  be  very  nearly  equal 
to  their  sum,  and  in  the  same  direction.  If  they  very 
nearly  oppose  each  other,  then  to  their  difference.  Sup- 
pose, now,  two  vibratory  motions  consisting  of  a  series 
of  successive  undulations  in  an  elastic  medium,  all 
similar  and  equal  to  each  other,  and  indefinitely  re- 
peated, to  arrive  at  the  same  point  from  the  same  original 
centre  of  vibration,  but  by  different  routes  (owing  to  the 
interposition  of  obstacles  or  other  causes)  exactly,  or 
very  nearly  in  the  same  final  direction ;  and  suppose, 
also,  that  owing  either  to  a  difference  in  the  lengths  of 
the  routes,  or  to  a  difference  in  the  velocities  with  which 
they  are  traversed,  the  time  occupied  by  a  wave  in 
arriving  by  the  first  route  (A)  is  less  than  that  of  its 


UNDULATOEY  THEORY  OF  LIGHT.       203 

arriving  by  the  other  (B).  It  is  clear,  then,  that  any 
ethereal  molecule  placed  in.  any  point  common  to  the 
two  routes  A  B  will  begin  to  vibrate  in  virtue  of  the 
undulations  propagated  along  A  before  the  moment 
when  the  first  wave  propagated  along  B  reached  it  Up, 
then,  to  this  moment  its  motions  will  be  the  same  as  if 
the  waves  along  B  had  no  existence.  But  after  this 
moment  its  motions  will  be  very  nearly  the  sum  or  differ- 
ence of  the  motions  it  would  have  separately  in  virtue 
of  the  two  undulations  each  subsisting  alone,  and  the 
more  nearly,  the  more  nearly  the  two  routes  of  arrival 
agree  in  their  final  direction.  Now,  it  may  happen  that 
the  difference  in  the  lengths  of  the  routes,  or  the  differ- 
ence of  velocities  is  such,  that  the  waves  propagated 
along  B  shall  reach  the  intersection  exactly  one-half  an 
undulation  behind  the  others,  i.  e.,  later  by  exactly  half 
the  time  of  a  wave  running  over  a  space  equal  to  a  com- 
plete undulation.  In  that  case,  the  molecule  which  in 
virtue  of  the  vibrations  propagated  along  A  would  (at 
any  future  instant)  be  in  one  phase  of  its  excursions  from 
its  point  of  rest,  would  in  virtue  of  that  propagated  along 
B,  if  subsisting  alone,  be  at  the  same  instant  in  exactly 
the  opposite  phase,  i.  e.,  moving  with  equal  velocity  in 
the  contrary  direction.  Hence,  when  both  systems  of 
vibration  co-exist  the  motions  will  constantly  destroy 
each  other,  and  the  molecule  will  remain  at  rest  The 
same  will  hold  good  if  the  difference  of  routes  or  ve- 
locities be  such,  that  the  vibrations  propagated  along  B 
shall  reach  the  intersection  of  the  routes  exactly  ij,  |,  |, 
etc.,  of  a  complete  period  of  undulations  after  those  pro- 
pagated along  A." 

This  is  all  clear  enough  with  one  exception.     I  am 


204  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

unable  to  perceive  what  difference  it  can  make,  as  to 
interference,  whether  the  two  series  of  undulations  do,  or 
do  not,  proceed  from  the  same  original  centre  of  vibra- 
tion and  nearly  agree  in  their  final  direction.  Other 
writers  take  the  same  view  of  this  point  as  Herschel ; 
but  it  seems  to  me  a  strange  hallucination.  Suppose 
undulations  propagated  along  two  cords  which  cross 
each  other,  can  it  make  any  difference,  as  to  the  inter- 
ference of  the  undulations,  what  the  angle  of  intersection 
is?  If  the  cords  crossed  at  right  angles,  and  the  vibra- 
tions at  the  point  of  intersection  were  opposed,  one  being 
downward  and  the  other  upward,  they  would  destroy 
each  other  just  as  certainly  as  if  the  cords  were  nearly 
parallel.  It  is  the  direction  of  each  force  operating 
upon  the  molecule,  in  the  caae  supposed,  which  deter- 
mines the  result,  not  the  direction  of  each  wave. 

Herschel  illustrates  the  matter  by  supposing  a  wave 
formed  in  a  reservoir  to  be  divided  by  entering  two 
canals  which  unite  at  some  distance  from  the  reservoir. 
If  the  difference  in  the  lengths  of  the  canals  is  such, 
that  at  the  point  of  junction  the  elevation  of  the  water 
in  one  will  coincide  with  the  depression  in  the  other, 
there  will  be  smooth  water  in  the  joint  canal.  The 
objection  to  this  is,  that  it  is  not  an  illustration  of  the 
phenomena  under  consideration.  A  parallel  case  would 
be  to  suppose  a  thousand  waves,  originated  by  a  thou- 
sand independent  impulses,  proceeding  by  a  thousand 
canals  into  one  common  canal.  The  number  of  waves 
which  conflict  and  coincide  would  be  the  same  whether 
the  canals  were  of  the  same,  or  of  different  lengths. 

The  point  to  be  ascertained  is,  how  the  insertion  of 
the  slip  of  card,  in  Dr.  Young's  experiment,  produced 


UKDULATORY  THEORY  OF   LIGHT.  205 

sensible  interference,  when  otherwise  there  would  have 
been  none.  Granting  Herschel's  views  to  be  correct, 
how  does  the  slip  of  card  produce  interference?  The 
only  attempt  at  a  definite  explanation  of  this  point  that 
I  have  seen  is  in  a  work  by  Jonathan  Pereira  on  Polar- 
ized Light  Pereira's  theory  is,  that  a  portion  of  the 
waves  are  reflected,  or  caused  to  diverge  from  their 
original  course  by  the  slip  of  card ;  these  intersect  waves 
which  continue  their  original  course ;  and  when  at  the 
point  of  intersection  the  vibrations  of  the  two  waves 
conflict,  there  will  be  mutual  destruction,  and  a  dark 
spot  will  be  the  result. 

Now,  Pereira,  in  another  place,  says  that  "  any  sensi- 
ble portion  of  light  must  contain  an  infinity  of  rays  ;" 
here  he  assumes  the  undulations  to  be  of  such  magni- 
tude that  the  destruction  of  two  will  produce  a  dark 
spot  Again,  as  the  undulations  proceed  in  straight 
lines  from  the  sun  to  the  screen,  they  must  intersect 
without  the  insertion  of  the  card ;  in  fact,  the  undula- 
tions reflected  by  the  card  would,  if  they  had  continued 
their  original  course,  have  intersected  other  undulations. 
"Why,  then,  are  not  the  dark  lines  observed  without  the 
insertion  of  the  card?  Finally,  if  Pereira's  theory  was 
correct,  the  insertion  of  a  wider  slip  would  have  the 
same  effect ;  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  if  a  slip  of  any 
considerable  width  was  inserted  no  such  phenomena 
would  be  observed.  If  any  advocate  of  the  undulatory 
theory  has  given  a  clear  and  sensible  explanation  of  this 
experiment,  cited  as  one  of  the  strongest  proofs  of  the 
theory,  I  have  been  unable  to  find  it 

One  of  the  principal  objections  advanced  against  this 


206  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

theory  is,  that  it  does  not  account  for  the  effect  of  light 
upon  vegetation,  or  for  its  various  chemical  effects.  In 
a  work  by  Robert  Hunt,  F.E.3.,  entitled  Researches  on 
Light  in  its  Chemical  Relations,  I  find,  among  others  of 
similar  import,  the  following  statements : 

"  Those  rays  which  give  the  most  light — the  yellow 
and  the  orange  rays — will  not  produce  change  of  color 
in  the  chloride  of  silver. 

"  Those  rays  which  have  the  least  illuminating  power 
— the  blue  and  violet — produce  the  greatest  change, 
and  in  an  exceedingly  short  space  of  time. 

"  The  rays  which  pass  through  certain  yellow  glasses 
have  no  effect  on  chloride  of  silver. 

"  The  rays  which  pass  through  very  dark  blue  glasses 
rapidly  change  the  color. 

"  The  yellow  glasses  obstruct  scarcely  any  light ;  the 
blue  glasses  may  be  so  dark  as  to  admit  of  the  perme- 
ation of  a  very  small  quantity." 

Mr.  Hunt  thinks  that  the  undulatory  theory  does  not 
account  for  the  results  of  his  experiments.  And  is  it 
conceivable  that  while  one  undulation  will  rapidly  effect 
a  certain  chemical  change,  another  undulation  will  not 
produce  it  at  all  ? 

Sir  David  Brewster,  in  his  Treatise  on  Optics,  makes 
the  following  remarks  upon  this  point : 

"  The  colors  of  vegetable  life  and  those  of  various 
kinds  of  solids  arise,  we  are  persuaded,  from  a  specific 
attraction  which  the  particles  of  these  bodies  exercise 
over  the  differently  colored  rays  of  light.  It  is  by  the 
light  of  the  sun  that  the  colored  juices  of  plants  are  elab- 
orated, that  the  colors  of  bodies  are  changed,  and  that 
many  chemical  combinations  and  decompositions  are 


UNDULATOKY  THEORY   OF  LIGHT.  207 

effected.  It  is  not  easy  to  allow  that  such  effects  can 
be  produced  by  the  mere  vibration  of  an  ethereal  m:- 
dium  ;  and  we  are  forced,  by  this  class  of  facts,  to  rea- 
son as  if  light  was  material.  "When  a  portion  of  light 
enters  a  body,  and  is  never  again  seen,  we  are  entitled 
to  say  that  it  is  detained  by  some  power  exerted  over 
the  light  by  the  particles  of  the  body.  That  it  is  at- 
tracted by  the  particles  seems  extremely  probable,  and 
that  it  enters  into  combination  with  them,  and  produces 
various  chemical  and  physical  effects,  cannot  well  be 
doubted ;  and  without  knowing  the  manner  in  which 
this  combination  takes  place,  we  may  say  that  the  light 
is  absorbed,  which  is  an  accurate  expression  of  the  fact" 

But  what  appears  to  me  the  greatest,  and  indeed  an 
unanswerable  objection  to  the  undulatory  theory,  has 
never,  so  far  as  my  reading  has  extended,  been  ad- 
vanced. It  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  the  intensity 
of  light  is  inversely  as  the  square  of  the  distance  from 
the  luminous  body.  This  has  been  definitely  ascer- 
tained by  experiments  with  photometers. 

The  undulations,  as  I  have  already  stated,  are  com- 
pared to  those  running  through  a  stretched  cord.  These, 
that  is,  the  vibrations  to  each  side  of  a  straight  line,  be- 
come less  and  less  as  they  recede  from  the  point  of  ori- 
gin ; .  and  as  it  is  the  extent,  or  amplitude,  of  these  vi- 
brations which  determines  the  intensity  of  the  light,  the 
intensity  of  the  light  must  diminish  from  this  cause  as 
the  distance  increases.  "  Thus,"  Herschel  says,  "  while 
the  intensity  of  light,  like  that  of  sound,  diminishes 
as  the  distance  from  its  origin  increases,  its  velocity  re- 
mains invariable." 


208  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

Herschel  is  here  speaking  with  reference  to  this  the- 
ory ;  and  the  idea  conveyed  is,  that  the  undulations  con- 
tinue of  the  same  length,  and  are  performed  in  the  same 
time  as  at  the  commencement,  but  the  extent  of  the 
vibrations  transversely  diminishes  as  the  distance  in- 
creases. He  states  the  law  as  being  that  the  vibrations 
are  "inversely  as  the  distance;"  and,  by  a  chain  of  rea- 
soning which  I  think  it  unnecessary  to  copy,  arrives  at 
the  conclusion  that  the  intensity  of  effect  produced  upon 
the  retina  by  each  undulation  is  inversely  as  the  square 
of  tJie  distance;  "and  thus,"  he  says;  "the  observed  law 
of  the  diminution  of  light  is  reconciled  to  the  undula- 
tory  doctrine." 

That  is,  according  to  Herschel's  statement  here,  the 
diminution  in  intensity  of  each  undulation  accounts  for 
all  the  diminution  that  occurs.  In  a  preceding  portion 
of  his  Treatise,  Ilerschel  makes  the  following  state- 
ment: 

"  If  flight  be  a  material  emanation,  a  something  scat- 
tered in  minute  particles  in  all  directions,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  same  quantity  which  is  diffused  over  the  sur- 
face of  a  sphere  concentric  with  the  luminous  points,  if 
it  continue  its  course  will  successively  be  diffused  over 
larger  and  larger  concentric  spherical  surfaces  ;  and  that 
its  intensity,  or  the  number  of  rays  which  fall  on  a 
given  space,  in  each  will  be  inversely  as  the  whole  sur- 
faces over  which  it  is  diffused  ;  that  is,  inversely  as  the 
squares  of  their  radii,  or  of  their  distances  from  the 
source  of  light." 

And  thus  the  observed  law  of  the  diminution  of  light 
is  also  reconciled  to  the  corpuscular  doctrine.  That  is, 
according  to  this  Treatise,  if  the  corpuscular  theory  is 


UNDULATORY  THEORY  OF  LIGHT.  209 

the  correct  one,  the  diffusion  of  light  accounts  for  all 
the  diminution  of  intensity  which  occurs  ;  if  the  undu- 
latory  is  the  correct  one,  the  diminution  in  intensity  of 
each  undulation  accounts  for  all  that  occurs,  and  conse- 
quently no  diminution  can  occur  from  diffusion.  Such 
philosophy  is  worthy  of  being  propounded  by  the  scien- 
tific TyndalL  To  me  "  it  is  obvious  "  that  the  rate  of 
diffusion,  and  consequently  the  diminution  of  intensity 
from  this  cause,  must  be  precisely  the  same  whether 
light  be  a  material  emanation  or  ethereal  undulations. 

The  same  work  (Enc.  Metropolitand)  contains  a  Treatise 
on  Optics,  by  Peter  Barlow,  F.RS.,  from  which  I 
copy  the  following,  written,  it  will  be  perceived,  with- 
out reference  to  any  particular  theory  of  light : 

"In  a  free  medium,  the  force  and  intensity  of  light 
which  propagates  itself  in  rays  emanating  from  the  same 
point,  or  which  concur  in  the  same  point,  are  inversely 
as  the  squares  of  the  distances  from  that  point. 

"  For  the  deviations  from  each  other  of  two  rays  of 
light  which  proceed  from  the  same  point  are  always 
proportional  to  their  distances  from  that  point  (since 
those  deviations  form  parallel  bases  of  isosceles  triangles, 
of  which  the  two  rays  are  the  sides).  Suppose,  there- 
fore, that  having  intercepted  a  certain  number  of  rays 
by  a  plane  posited  at  a  certain  distance  from  the  radiant 
point,  we  remove  this  plane  to  a  double  distance,  then 
to  a  triple,  to  a  quadruple  distance,  and  so  on:  the 
deviations  of  the  rays  from  each  other  will  be  as  the 
numbers  1,  2,  3,  4,  etc.,  and  each  dimension  of  the  base 
of  each  luminous  pyramid  which  is  thus  formed  in 
succession  will  be  in  the  same  ratio.  Consequently,  the 
surface  of  those  bases  will  be  as  the  numbers  1,  4,  9,  16, 


210  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

etc.  So  that  the  same  number  of  rays  are  found  distrib- 
uted successively  over  surfaces  which  are  respectively 
as  the  squares  of  the  distances  from  the  radiant  point, 
or  point  of  concourse,  and,  therefore,  the  intensity  of 
light  that  they  excite  will  diminish  in  the  same  pro- 
portion." 

Perhaps  the  matter  will  be  as  readily  understood 
from  the  simple  statement  that  the  surfaces  of  spheres 
of  different  diameters  are  as  the  squares  of  their  radii. 

Here,  then,  is  a  fact,  namely,  the  diffusion  of  light, 
which  fully  accounts  for  all  the  diminution  of  intensity 
that  occurs,  supposing — with  reference  to  the  undulatory 
theory — each  undulation  to  retain  its  original  intensity. 
Now,  whether  Herschel's  doctrine,  that  the  intensity  in 
effect  of  each  undulation  is  inversely  as  the  square  of 
the  distance,  is,  or  is  not  correct,  is  a  point  of  little  im- 
portance. As  the  undulations  are  supposed  to  be 
propagated  by  the  inertia  of  the  ethereal  molecules,  we 
know  that  the  vibrations  would  become  less  and  less  as 
they  recede  from  the  point  of  origin ;  and  the  facts  do 
not  admit  of  the  supposition  that  any  diminution  in  the 
intensity  of  light  occurs  from  such  a  cause. 

Before  leaving  this  subject,  I  wish  to  notice  a  doctrine 
enunciated  by  Herschel  in  this  Treatise  on  Light  which 
has  no  very  important  bearing  here,  but  has  in  any 
theory  of  sound.  After  defining  the  undulatory  theory, 
he  says : 

"  The  application  of  these  postulates  to  the  explana- 
tion of  the  phenomena  of  light,  presumes  an  acquiantance 
with  the  theory  of  the  propagation  of  motion  through 
elastic  media  This  we  shall  assume,  referring  to  our 


UNDULATORY  THEORY  OF   LIGHT.  211 

article  on  sound  for  the  demonstration  of  all  the  properties 
and  laws  of  motion  so  propagated  as  we  shall  have  oc- 
casion to  employ.  One  of  the  principal  of  these  is, 
that  supposing  the  elastic  medium  uniform  and  homo- 
geneous, all  motions  of  whatever  kind  are  propagated 
through  it  in  all  directions  with  one  and  the  same 
uniform  velocity,  a  velocity  depending  solely  on  the 
elasticity  of  the  medium  as  compared  with  its  inertia, 
and  bearing  no  relation  to  the  greatness  or  smallness, 
regularity  or  irregularity  of  the  original  disturbance. 
Thus,  while  the  intensity  of  light,  like  that  of  sound, 
diminishes  as  the  distance  from  its  origin  increases,  its 
velocity  remains  invariable,  and  thus,  too,  as  sounds  of 
every  pitch,  so  light  of  every  color  travels  with  one 
and  the  same  velocity,  either  in  vacuo,  or  in  a  homo- 
geneous medium." 

His  Treatise  on  Sound  is  contained  in  the  same  work, 
but  it  is  unnecessary  to  notice  it  further  than  to  say  that 
he  assumes  the  wave  theory  of  sound  to  be  correct,  and 
attempts  to  show  why  all  sounds  are  propagated  with  the 
same  velocity.  The  doctrine  is  especially  absurd  when 
applied  to  the  wave  theory  of  sound ;  because  in  this 
case  the  motions  or  pulses  are  in  the  direction  in  which 
the  sound  is  traveling;  and  if  the  reader  will  turn  to 
the  chapter  on  this  subject,  and  read  my  remarks  on  this 
point,  he  will,  I  think,  perceive  that  the  doctrine  is 
equivalent  to  saying  that  if  a  man  takes  ten  steps  per 
second  of  one  foot  each,  he  travels  as  fast  as  a  man  who 
takes  the  same  number  per  second  of  two  feet  each. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

NEW  THEORIES  OP  ELECTRICITY  .4ND  HEAT. 

THE  theory  of  electricity  which  I  have  received,  so 
far  as  relates  to  the  explanation  of  most  electrical  phe- 
nomena, is  not  new  ;  yet  it  does  differ  somewhat  from 
any  heretofore  held  in  our  world ;  and  it  is  necessary 
briefly  to  state  it,  in  order  that  the  theory  of  light,  which 
is  entirely  new,  may  be  understood. 

The  theory,  if  it  can  properly  be  called  such,  that 
electricity  is  simply  motion  of  the  particles  of  a  body, 
requires  no  notice,  as  its  advocates,  so  far  as  I  am  in- 
formed, have  never  attempted  to  apply  it  to  the  solution 
of  a  single  phenomenon.  Two  theories,  properly  such, 
have  been  advanced  to  account  for  the  phenomena  of 
electricity.  One  theory  assumes  the  existence  of  two 
fluids,  one  vitreous,  or  positive,  the  other  resinous,  or  neg- 
ative /  that  vitreous  repels  vitreous,  and  resinous  repels 
resinous,  while  vitreous  and  resinous  attract  each  other. 
The  other  theory  assumes  the  existence  of  a  single  fluid ; 
the  vitreous,  or  positive  electrical  condition  of  a  body 
being  due  to  the  fact  that  it  holds  an  excess,  over  its 
natural  quantity  of  electricity ;  and  the  resinous,  or  neg- 
ative state,  to  the  fact  that  the  body  is  deficient  in  elec- 
tricity, or  holds  less  than  its  natural  quantity.  I  believe 
the  theory  of  two  fluids  has  been  received  with  most 


NEW  THEORY  OF  HEAT.  213 

favor ;  but  so  far  as  my  knowledge  of  electricity  ex- 
tends, either  theory  would  equally  well  account  for  the 
phenomena. 

This  theory  assumes  that  the  conditions  known  as 
positive  and  negative  are  owing  to  excess  and  deficiency 
of  electricity  ;  that  so  far  the  single-fluid  theory  is  cor- 
rect. But  it  also  assumes  that  there  are  almost  innu- 
merable varieties  of  electricity ;  that,  for  example,  the 
electricity  developed,  or  set  free,  by  the  decomposition 
of  bodies,  varies  with  the  chemical  properties  of  the 
bodies ;  and  that  electricity,  like  what  is  called  ponder- 
able matter,  undergoes  changes  by  decomposition  and 
recomposition.  It  assigns  to  electricity  a  far  more  im- 
portant position  than  has  heretofore  been  given  it ;  af- 
firming that  all  we  know  of  matter  is  through  elec- 
tricity ;  and  that  if  a  body,  say  a  stone,  could  be  de- 
prived of  electricity,  to  us  it  would  have  no  existence ; 
we  could  neither  see  it  or  feel  it.  These  are  the  only 
new  ideas  I  have  to  advance  regarding  electricity  ;  the 
explanation  of  most  electrical  phenomena  would  be  the 
same  by  this  as  by  the  single-fluid  theory. 

Heat  is  simply  one  form,  or  state,  of  electricity.  Elec- 
tricity, as  I  have  said,  undergoes  changes,  and  one  of  the 
most  important  of  these  changes  is  into  the  state  known 
as  heat  Thus,  for  .example,  if  the  wire  attached  to  a 
galvanic  battery  has  capacity  sufiicient  to  convey  the 
electricity  as  rapidly  as  developed,  the  electricity  will 
pass  along  the  surface  of  the  wire,  undergoing  no  change. 
But  if  the  conducting  power  of  the  wire  is  not  sufiicient, 
if  the  electricity  becomes  crowded  upon  it,  a  portion  of 
the  electricity  will  undergo  a  change,  passing  into  the 


214  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

state  known  as  heat  The  idea  I  have  received  is,  that 
the  primary  Development  in  the  decomposition  and  re- 
composition  of  any  body,  is  electricity,  and  not  he?t ; 
but  the  electricity  is  instantly  converted  into  heat  if  it 
becomes  crowded,  or  condensed  to  a  certain  degree.  In 
other  words,  it  is  assumed  that  the  production  of  heat, 
whether  by  decomposition,  recomposition,  or  friction, 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  a  quantity  of  electricity  is  set  free 
which  is  converted,  into  heat.  There  are  many  chem- 
ical changes  by  which  bodies  become  condensed,  and 
heat  becomes  sensible  in  the  same  way  as  if  the  bodies 
were  condensed  by  physical  force ;  this  is  not,  strictly 
speaking,  a  production  of  heat  Heat  is  also  reconverted 
into  electricity,  though  this  change  is  generally  less 
manifest  to  us. 

The  expansion  of  a  body  by  heat  is  in  consequence 
of  the  same  law  that  causes  two  bodies  charged  with  an 
excess  of  electricity  upon  the  surface  to  repel  each 
other.  Heat,  to  a  certain  extent,  retains  this  repelling 
property.  It  would  seem,  at  first,  that,  such  being  the 
fact,  two  heated  bodies  should  repel  each  other.  It  is 
assumed  that  the  repelling  power  of  heat  is  very  slight, 
and  operates  only  at  an  inappreciable  distance. 

I  do  not  know  that  a  better  explanation  of  the  fact 
that  the  capacity  for  heat  of  a  body  is  increased  by  ex- 
pansion, can  be  given  than  this,  namely,  that  the  heat 
is  also  expanded,  and  therefore  it  requires  an  additional 
amount  to  bring  it  to  its  former  state  of  condensation. 
The  expansion  and  contraction  of  matter,  like  matter  it- 
self, is,  I  think,  a  mystery.  The  doctrine  that  in  expan- 
sion the  ultimate  atoms  become  farther  removed  from 
each  other,  appears  to  me  very  unsatisfactory.  Neither 


NEW   THEORY  OF  HEAT.  215 

do  I  understand  the  connection  between  heat  and  what 
we  call  matter.  But  we  know  that  when  a  body  is  ex- 
panded, the  heat  which  it  contains  follows  the  particles 
of  the  body,  and,  therefore,  must  also  be  expanded. 

One  fact  occurs  to  me  which  seems  to  require  expla- 
nation. A  resinous  body,  when  rubbed  upon  another, 
say  £  piece  of  cloth,  loses,  according  to  this  theory,  elec- 
tricity ;  and  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  it  becomes  warmer.  It 
does  part  with  electricity ;  that  is,  electricity  which  re- 
mains such ;  but  the  friction  sets  free  electricity  more 
rapidly  than  it  is  conveyed  away ;  a  portion,  therefore, 
becomes  converted  into  heat,  and  this  penetrates  the 
resinous  body. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  NEW  THEORY  OF  LIGHT. 

LIGHT  consists  of  particles  of  matter  emitted  from 
self-luminous  bodies,  of  uniform  shape,  but  possessing 
different  chemical  and  magnetic  properties.  These 
particles,  entering  the  eye,  are  absorbed  by  the  retina, 
and,  undergoing  chemical  decomposition,  cause  currents 
of  electricity  to  flow  along  the  optic  nerve  to  the  brain, 
thus  exciting  vision;  the  different  colors  being  due  to 
the  different  chemical  properties  of  the  particles.  For 
convenience,  I  will  hereafter  designate  the  particles  by 
the  colors  which  they  produce. 

There  exists  between  these  particles  and  ordinary 
matter  an  attractive  force,  varying  with  the  colors  of  the 
particles. 

There  is  also  a  resisting  force,  varying  in  different 
bodies  for  all  particles,  and  in  the  same  body  for  particles 
of  different  colors. 

A  chemical  affinity  also  exists  between  the  particles 
and  most  bodies  of  ordinary  matter,  varying  with  the 
colors  ;  and  which,  with  reference  to  the  latter  point,  is 
inversely  as  the  resistance  to  penetration ;  that  is,  if  the 
resistance  of  the  body  to  penetration  is  greater  for  the 
red  particles  than  for  other  colors,  then  the  chemical 
affinity  is  greater  for  other  colors  than  for  red. 

As  the  shape  of  the  particles  is,  in  this 
theory,  a  matter  of  importance,  I  give 
longitudinal  sections  perpendicular  to 
the  longest  and  shortest  diameters,  and 
a  tranverse  section  through  the  middle. 


NEW  THEORY  OP  LIGHT.  217 

These  must  be  considered  as  only  approximately  correct 
If  the  reader  will  imagine  a  cylinder,  having  hemi- 
spherical ends,  partially  flattened,  the  flattening  process 
commencing  at  one  extreme  end  and  terminating  at  the 
other,  he  will  have  a  sufficiently  correct  idea  of  the 
shape.  The  form  is  supposed  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  particles  have  been  forced  through  an.  enveloping 
substance ;  a  point  relative  to  which  I  have  not  at- 
tempted to  get  a  definite  idea.  In  their  flight,  the  axes 
of  the  particles  are  parallel  to  the  line  of  direction.  I 
will  attempt  to  apply  the  theory,  to  the  solution  of  some 
of  the  most  prominent  phenomena. 

Refraction,  and  the  prismatic  spectrum. — Here  the 
theory  does  not,  I  believe,  differ  from  the  Newtonian. 
When  a  ray  of  light  falls  obliquely  upon  a  glass  surface, 
the  particles  which  penetrate  the  glass  are,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  attractive  force,  drawn  aside  irom  their 
former  course  ;  and  as  this  force  varies  with  the  color — 
being  greatest  for  violet,  least  for  red,  and  intermediate 
for  the  intermediate  colors  of  the  spectrum — the  refrac- 
tion of  each  color  varies  accordingly.  If  the  glass  is  a 
prism,  each  color,  on  leaving  the  second  surface,  will 
again  be  refracted  in  the  same  direction  and  to  the  same 
extent  as  by  the  first  surface,  and,  consequently,  the 
colors  will  continue  to  diverge.  If  the  sides  of  the  glass 
are  parallel,  each  color,  on  leaving  the  second  surface, 
will"  be  refracted  to  the  same  extent  as  by  the  first  sur- 
iace,  but  in  the  opposite  direction  ;  consequently,  the 
colors  proceed  from  the  second  surface  parallel  to  each 
other,  and  the  whole  ray  of  light  resumes  a  course 
parallel  to  its  original  one.  The  ray  appears  white  iij 


218  MODERN  DIABOUSM. 

the  latter  case,  not  because  the  light  is  recomposed  by 
the  second  surface,  as  Herschel  and  Brewster  state,  but 
because  it  has  not  been  sufficiently  decomposed  for  the 
eye  to  distinguish  the  colors.  In  order  that  the  eye  may 
distinguish  colors,  they  must  strike  the  retina  at  points 
sufficiently  far  apart  If  a  number  of  fine  lines  of 
different  colors  are  drawn  on  a  surface  close  to  and  par- 
allel to  each  other,  the  effect  upon  the  eye,  at  a  very 
short  distance,  is  the  same  as  if  the  colors  were  first 
mixed  and  then  placed  upon  the  surface.  A  glass,  the 
sides  of  which  are  not  parallel,  may  be  so  thin  that 
the  colors,  on  leaving  it,  are  less  separated  than  on 
leaving  a  thicker  glass  of  parallel  sides;  but  in  the 
former  case  the  colors  continue  to  diverge,  and  conse- 
quently strike  the  retina  more  completely  separated 
than  in  the  latter  case.  As,  in  the  case  of  a  glass  having 
parallel  sides,  the  colors  continue  to  diverge  until  they 
leave  the  second  surface,  if  a  ray  of  light  could  be  passed 
through  a  glass  of  sufficient  thickness,  so  that  the  colors 
would  be  sufficiently  separated  on  reaching  the  second 
surface,  they  would  be  distinguished ;  but  in  a  plate  of 
such  thickness  the  ray  would  be  to  such  an  extent 
absorbed  and  diffused  that  the  effect  could  not  be 
observed. 

One  point  it  may  be  proper  to  explain,  though  it  is 
fully  explained  in  that  part  of  Herschel's  Treatise  relat- 
ing to  the  Newtonian  theory.  When  I  speak  of  the 
surfaces  of  the  refracting  medium,  I  mean  what  to  us 
appears  to  be  such.  It  is  not  meant  that  the  whole  re-- 
fraction  occurs  at  a  mathematical  point ;  but  when  the 
particles  of  light  have  entered  the  medium  to  an  appre- 
ciable distance,  the  attraction  on  all  sides  is  equal,  and 


NEW  THEORY  OF  LIGHT.  219 

consequently  they  are  no  longer  drawn  aside  in  any 
direction.  The  attractive  force  must  be  considered  with 
reference  to  each  particle^  of  light,  and  these  are  so 
minute  that  at  any  appreciable  distance  the  attraction  of 
the  medium  is  not  felt 

Colors  of  bodies. — In  a  body  which  appears  either  white 
or  black,  the  resistance  to  penetration  is  the  same  for 
all  colors,  but  greater  in  the  former  body  than  in  the 
latter.  In  a  body  which  appears  colored,  red  for  ex- 
ample, the  resistance  to  red  is  greater  than  to  other 
colors.  It  is  not  assumed,  however,  that  all  the  red 
particles  are  reflected,  or  that  all  those  of  other  colors 
penetrate  the  body ;  but  solely  that  a  larger  proportion 
of  red  than  of  other  colors  is  reflected.  The  facility  of 
penetration,  in  any  case,  depends  not  only  upon  the 
color  of  the  particle,  but  also,  as  in  the  case  of  ordinary 
matter,  upon  the  angle  at  which  it  strikes  the  surface 
of  the  body,  and  upon  the  extent  of  surface  which  the 
particle  presents  at  the  point  of  contact  Thus  it  may 
occur  that,  although  the  resistance  of  a  body  to  a  red 
particle  is  greater  than  to  a  green  one,  the  former  will 
penetrate  while  the  latter  is  reflected. 

The  opaqueness  of  bodies  is  owing,  generally,  to  the 
fact  that  the  affinity  existing  between  the  body  and  the 
particles  which  enter  it  is  such  that  the  latter  are  ab- 
sorbed, undergoing  chemical  decomposition.  In  some 
cases,  however,  such,  for  example,  as  a  mass  of  pulverized 
white  glass,  the  opaqueness  is  owing  to  the  fact  that 
there  are  so  many  surfaces  inclined  in  all  planes,  that 
the  particles  fail  to  penetrate  them.  In  the  case  of  a 
colored  transparent  body,  say  a  plate  of  green  glass,  a 


220  MODEKN   DIABOLISM. 

larger  proportion  of  green  than  of  other  colors  is  reflected ; 
but,  of  the  particles  which  penetrate  the  plate,  a  larger 
proportion  of  other  colors  than  of  green  is  absorbed — in 
consequence  of  the  law  that  the  affinity  is  inversely  as 
the  resistance — so  that  the  transmitted  light  also  appears 
green. 

Polarization. — This  word  was,  as  I  understand,  origi- 
nally adopted  in  the  Newtonian  theory,  where  it  has 
some  appropriateness;  it  has  none  in  the  undulatory 
theory,  or  in  this,  but  I  must  continue  to  use  it  The 
polarization  of  light,  according  to  this  theory,  is  in  con- 
sequence of  the  law  governing  ordinary  matter  that, 
when  several  bodies  impinge  upon  another,  the  resistance 
to  penetration  by  each,  other  things  being  equal,  varies 
with  the  form,  at  the  point  of  contact,  of  the  impinging 
body ;  that  is,  a  sharp-pointed  body  will  penetrate  more 
readily  than  a  blunt  one.  If  the  reader  has  a  correct 
idea  of  the  form  of  the  particles  of  light,  he  will  under- 
stand that  their  points  have  what  may  be  termed  flat 
and  sharp  sides;  and  that,  consequently,  when  they 
strike  a  surface  obliquely,  the  power  of  penetration 
varies  with  the  side  brought  in  contact 

A  ray  of  light  consists  of  particles  whose  axes  are 
parallel  to  the  line  of  direction,  and  whose  longest  and 
shortest  diameters  are  in  all  directions  perpendicular 
to  this  line.  When  a  ray  falls  obliquely  upon  a  plate 
of  glass,  those  particles  which  strike  most  favorably  for 
penetration,  that  is,  upon  their  sharp  sides,  will  penetrate 
the  glass ;  those  which  strike  upon  their  flat  sides  will 
be  reflected.  The  reflected  ray,  then,  will  consist  of 
particles  whose  corresponding  diameters  are  very  nearly 


NEW  THEORY  OF  LIGHT.  221 

in  the  same  plane.  If  now,  a  second  reflector  is  placed 
in  the  same  plane  with  the  first,  the  particles  will  also 
strike  it  upon  their  flat  sides,  and  be  again  reflected ;  if 
the  second  reflector  is  so  placed  as  to  reflect  in  the  same 
direction  as  the  first,  the  particles  will  strike  it  on  the 
same  side ;  if  it  is  so  placed  as  to  reflect  in  the  opposite 
direction,  the  particles  will  strike  on  the  opposite  side. 
If  the  second  reflector  is  placed  in  a  plane  perpendicular 
to  the  first,  the  particles  will  strike  on  their  sharp  sides, 
and  penetrate  it  For  convenience,  I  use  the  word  plane 
here  as  generally  used  by  writers  upon  this  subject ; 
strictly  speaking,  the  reflectors  are  in  neither  case  in 
the  same  plane. 

Light  is  more  perfectly  polarized  by  reflection  at  a 
certain  angle  than  at  others.  For  common  glass  this 
angle  is  said  to  be  56°  45'.  The  explanation  of  this 
fact  is  that,  as  the  angle  is  diminished  the  reflection  of 
all  particles  becomes  facilitated ;  when  the  angle  is  in- 
creased, the  reverse  is  the  fact,  but  as  the  particles  strike 
more  nearly  vertical  the  difference  in  their  power  of 
penetration  becomes  less  (when  precisely  vertical  there 
is,  of  course,  no  difference),  and  the  consequence,  in 
either  case,  is,  that  the  reflected  ray  consists  of  particles 
whose  corresponding  diameters  are  less  uniformly  in  the 
same  plane. 

Sir  David  Brewster  states,  in  explanation  of  certain 
phenomena,  that  light  is  reflected  by  both  the  first  and 
second  surfaces  of  a  transparent  body.  This  is  not 
possible  upon  any  conceivable  theory  of  light  If  the 
second  surface  is  not  placed  in  contact  with  another 
body,  there  is  no  second  reflection  ;  if  it  is  so  placed,  the 
second  reflection  is  not  from  the  second  surface  of  the 


222  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

first  body,  but  from  the  first  surface  of  the  second  body. 
Sir  David  applies  his  theory  to  the  solution  of  the  fol- 
lowing phenomena : 

Let  a  beam  of  light  fall  at  an  angle  between  80°  and 
90°  upon  a  plate  of  glass;  "a  portion  of  it  will  be 
reflected  at  its  two  surfaces,  and  the  refracted  beam  a  is 
found  to  contain  a  small  portion  of  polarized  light  If 
this  beam  a  again  falls  upon  a  second  plate,  No.  2, 
parallel  to  the  first,  it  will  suifer  two  reflections ;  and 
the  refracted  pencil  b  will  contain  more  polarized  light 
than  a.  In  like  manner,  by  transmitting  it  through  the 
plates  Nbs.  3,  4,  5,  and  6,  the  last  refracted  pencil,  5, 
will  be  found  -to  consist  entirely,  so  far  as  the  eye  can 
judge,  of  polarized  light  But,  what  is  very  interesting, 
the  beam  /  is  not  polarized  in  the  plane  of  refraction 
or  reflection,  but  in  a  plane  at  right  angles  to  it" 

There  is  nothing  in  the  above  going  to  show  that 
light  was  reflected  at  both  surfaces  of  the  plates ;  nor 
has  Sir  David  shown  any  facts  which  support  his  view. 
In  this  experiment  the  beam  of  light  falls  upon  the 
plates  at  a  great  angle ;  in  such  a  case,  as  I  have  said,  the 
difference  in  the  particles  as  to  the  power  of  penetration 
is  slight ;  still,  as  the  beam  does  not  fall  perpendicu- 
larly, there  is,  upon  the  whole,  a  difference,  and  the 
beam  consequently  becomes  more  and  more  polarized 
by  every  first  surface  upon  which  it .  falls.  As  to  the 
fact  that  the  transmitted  beam  is  polarized  in  a  plane  at 
right  angles  to  the  plane  of  reflection,  that  is  always 
the  case.  According  to  this  theory,  it  is  because  the 
longest  diameters  of  the  particles  which  penetrate  the 
plate  are  in  a  plane  at  right  angles  to  it ;  consequently, 
in  order  that  these  particles  might  strike  a  reflector  on 


NEW  THEORY  OP  LIGHT.  223 

their  flat  sides  and  be  reflected,  the  reflector  would  have 
to  be  placed  in  a  plane  at  right  angles  to  that  in  which 
the  penetrated  plates  are,  and  this  is  what  Sir  David 
meant 

For  polarization  by  transmission,  a  plate  of  tourmaline 
is  generally  used.  I  presume  that  its  resistance  to  pene- 
tration is  greater  than  that  of  common  glass;  conse- 
quently, a  beam  of  light  transmitted  through  it  is  more 
perfectly  polarized,  or  sifted,  than  one  transmitted 
through  glass.  This,  however,  does  not  explain  one 
fact,  namely,  that  a  beam  which  falls  upon  a  plate  of 
tourmaline  perpendicularly  is  polarized  by  transmission. 
As,  for  this  purpose,  the  plate  must  be  cut  in  a  certain 
direction  from  the  crystallized  mass,  it  is  evident  that 
some  peculiarity  of  crystallization  is  the  cause  of  the 
phenomenon.  It  is  here  assumed,  that  the  surface  of 
the  plate  on  which  the  light  falls  consists  of  minute  sur- 
faces inclined  in  one  plane ;  so  that  although  consid- 
ered as  a  whole,  the  beam  falls  perpendicularly  upon 
the  surface,  the  particles  really  fall  obliquely  upon  sur- 
faces. 

Double  refraction  and  polarization, — There  are  certain 
crystals  which  have  the  peculiar  property  of  dividing  a 
transmitted  beam  of  light  into  two  rays,  and  these  two 
rays  are  found  at  their  emergence  to  be  polarized  in  two 
planes  which  are  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  The 
crystal  most  used  for  this  experiment  is  Iceland  spar, 
and  the  light  must  be  made  to  pass  through  it  in  cer- 
tain directions,  with  reference  to  its  crystallization. 

Here,  again,  it  is  evident  that  a  peculiarity  of  crystal- 
ization  is  the  cause  of  the  phenomena.  It  is  here  as- 


224  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

sumed,  that  the  surface  of  the  crystal  upon  which  the 
light  falls  consists  of  minute  surfaces  inclined  in  two 
planes  which  are  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  Let  us 
first  consider  the  effect  of  the  surfaces  inclined  in  one 
plane.  Of  the  particles  which  strike  these  surfaces, 
those  whose  longest  diameters  are  in  a  plane  at  right 
angles  to  the  plane  in  which  the  surfaces  are  inclined 
— in  other  words,  those  which  strike  on  their  edges — 
will  penetrate  the  crystal ;  the  others  will  be  reflected. 
Those  which  penetrate  will  be  refracted.  The  same 
will  occur  to  those  particles  which  fall  upon  the  sur- 
faces inclined  in  the  opposite  plane ;  and  those  which 
penetrate  will  be  refracted  in  a  direction  at  right  angles 
to  that  in  which  the  former  are  refracted.  The  trans- 
mitted light  is  therefore  divided  into  two  rays  ;  and  the 
corresponding  diameters  of  the  particles  constituting  the 
two  rays  are  in  two  planes  which  are  at  right  angles  to 
each  other. 

I  think  the  explanations  I  have  given  will  enable 
any  one  who  has  made  the  subject  a  study,  to  under- 
stand how  the  theory  should  be  applied  in  the  solution 
of  most  phenomena.  According  to  this  theory,  there 
can  be  no  appreciable  interference  of  light ;  but  I  would 
not  attempt  a  definite  explanation  of  Dr.  Young's  ex- 
periment without  further  facts.  One  fact  absolutely 
necessary  is  this :  When  the  light  passing  on  one  side 
of  the  card  was  shut  off  from  the  screen,  did  the  bright 
and  dark  lines  disappear  because  the  dark  ones  became 
brighter,  or  because  the  bright  ones  became  darker  ?  It 
is  a  known  fact  that  light  passing  near  the  surface  of  a 
body  is  attracted,  and  drawn  out  of  its  course ;  and  the 


NEW  THEORY  OF  LIGHT.  225 

bright  central  line,  in  this  experiment,  can  only  be  ac- 
counted for  upon  the  supposition  that  the  light  passing 
upon  each  side  of  the  card  was  so  far  drawn  out  of  its 
original  course  as  to  meet  upon  the  screen.  Interference, 
supposing  it  to  occur,  would  not  explain  why  there  was 
a  bright  line  where  if  the  card  had  been  wider  there 
would  have  been  a  shadow.  Without  hazarding,  defi- 
nitely, a  theory  upon  so  meagre  a  statement,  I  would 
suggest  the  following  as  being  perhaps  the  correct  ex- 
planation : 

The  attractive  force  of  a  card  upon  light  passing  near 
its  surface  is  of  the  same  nature  as  that  of  a  plate  of 
glass  upon  light  passing  through  it ;  some  colors  are 
more  attracted  than  others,  and,  of  course,  are  affected 
by  the  attractive  force  at  a  greater  distanca  Although 
the  slip  of  card  was  very  thin,  its  appreciable  force  upon 
the  particles  of  light — for  reasons  stated  when  speaking 
of  refraction — was  the  same  as  if  it  had  been  of  greater 
width.  Now,  I  presume  that,  the  slip  of  card  being- 
so  thin,  the  particles  passing  on  each  side  near  it,  not 
only  met,  but  crossed  each  other  beyond  it;  and  that 
the  lines  differing  in  brightness  were  due  to  the  fact  that 
at  certain  points  on  the  screen  a  larger  number  of  par- 
ticles met,  or  there  was  a  greater  concourse,  than  at 
others ;  the  amount  of  light  being  too  small  to  make  the 
colors  distinguishable.  This  explanation  assumes  that 
the  lines  disappeared  when  the  light  passing  on  one  side 
was  intercepted,  because  the  bright  lines  became  darker. 

It  will  be  perceived  .that  these  new  theories  assume 
all  our  sensations  to  be  of  an  electrical  nature.  Taste 


226  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

and  smell,  which  differ  but  little,  are  the  results  of  chem- 
ical changes  which  cause  currents  of  electricity  to  flow 
through  the  nerves  to  the  brain.  Touch  is  the  result  of 
the  development  by  friction  of  electricity,  which  is  also 
conveyed  to  the  brain. 


CHAPTER  XL 

ON  ANOTHER  WORLD  AND  THE  CHANGE  AT  DEATH. 

IN  speaking  of  another  world,  I  will,  for  convenience, 
use  the  definite  article,  without  intending  to  imply  that 
there  is  but  one  world  besides  our  own.  And  it  is  my 
intention  in  this  work  to  say  no  more  about  the  other 
world  than  appears  to  be  absolutely  necessary  in  order 
to  make  the  phenomena  I  have  attempted  to  explain 
understood  ;  for  the  truth  is,  I  have  not  myself  a  very 
clear  conception  of  it 

It  seems  to  me  somewhat  strange  that,  white  most 
writers  in  treating  of  matter  admit  that  we  are  en- 
tirely unable  to  comprehend  it,  they  yet  assume,  or 
appear  to,  that  there  is  no  state  or  condition  of  matter 
not  cognizable  by  our  senses.  The  other  world,  like 
our  own,  is  constituted  of  matter  ;  that  is  to  say — since 
we  do  not  at  all  comprehend  matter — the  word  is  as 
applicable  to  the  other  world  as  to  our  own.  And  it  is 
not  attenuated  matter  which  in  other  respects  is  the 
same  as  that  of  our  world ;  but  matter  which  in  its.  most 
condensed  form,  and  in  its  normal  condition,  is  not  in 
any  way  cognizable  by  us.  In  the  next  chapter  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  state  that  this  matter  may  be  made  per- 
ceptible by  our  senses  of  sight  and  touch  ;  yet  in  this 
condition  it  is  no  more  condensed,  or  solid,  than  when 
entirely  imperceptible  by  us.  From  the  information  I 


228  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

now  have,  I  assume  that  there  may  be  innumerable 
other  states  or  conditions  of  matter  not  cognizable  either 
by  us  or  the  inhabitants  of  this  other  world. 

The  other  world  is  constituted  of  matter  which  per- 
meates that  of  our  world ;  and  it  is,  in  form  and  dimen- 
sions, the  counterpart  of  our  world.  The  diameters  and 
circumferences  of  each  world  are  the  same  and  coincid- 
ent ;  the  mountains,  oceans,  and  rivers  of  our  world  are 
reproduced  in  the  other.  When  we  build. a  house,  we 
build  double  ;  for  the  walls,  floors,  and  all  parts  of  the 
building  are  permeated  by  the  matter  of  the  other  world. 
This  fact  is  due  to  the  attractive  force  which  the  matter 
of  our  world  exerts  upon  that  of  the  other. 

The  converse,  however,  is  not  true ;  all  the  forms  of 
the  other  world  have  not  their  counterparts  in  matter  of 
ours :  and  for  the  reason  that  the  attractive  force  exerted 
by  the  matter  of  the  othyr  world  upon  that  of  ours  is 
less  than  that  which  the  particles  of  the  latter  exert  upon 
each  other.  The  attractive  force  may  be  compared  to 
that  of  capillary  attraction ;  and  while  matter  of  the 
other  world  suffers  this  attraction  by  bodies  of  our 
world,  matter  of  the  latter  does  not  suffer  it  by  bodies 
of  the  former.  For  example,  the  desk  at  which  I  am 
writing  contains  a  precise  duplicate  in  the  matter  of  the 
other  world.  Were  I  to  move  this  desk,  it  would  carry 
with  it  the  duplicate ;  but  were  the  invisible  beings  with 
me  to  remove  the  latter,  it  would  not  stir  the  former ; 
and  my  desk  would  immediately  be  again  permeated  by 
the,  to  me,  invisible  matter.  This  matter  is  not  entirely 
devoid  of  gravity ;  and  yet,  compared  with  solids  and 
liquids  of  our  world,  it  is  nearly  so. 

It  may  be  a  little  difficult  to  understand  how  such 


DEATH   AND  ANOTHER  WORLD.  229 

matter  can  be  a  solid  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  other 
world,  as  the  earth  is  to  us ;  that  is,  how  they  walk  and 
live  upon  the  surface  of  their  world,  as  we  do  upon  that 
of  ours.  Such,  however,  I  am  informed  is  the  fact; 
and,  bearing  in  mind  that  the  bodies  of  these  inhabitants 
are  also  nearly  devoid  of  gravity,  I  think  a  little  reflec- 
tion will  show  that  it  is  not  an  impossibility.  There  is, 
however,  a  difference  in  the  two  case?.  For  example, 
my  room  constitutes  also  a  room  to  the  invisible  beings 
with  me :  and  the  invisible  floor  which  permeates  mine 
bears  their  weight  Yet  they  can  pass  through  this 
floor,  or  through  their  walls,  without  much  difficulty ; 
though  in  doing  so,  they  would  have  to  make  an  open- 
ing, as  I  would  to  pass  through  mine.  As  the  matter 
constituting  their  floor  and  walls  is  held  in  its  position 
solely  by  the  attraction  of  mine,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
understand  that  they  can  pass  through  either  with  little 
difficulty ;  and  that — their  bodies  being  nearly  devoid 
of  gravity — such  a  floor  may  bear  their  weight 

It  will  be  understood,  from  what  I  have  said,  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  other  world  have  no  more  power  to 
leave  this  globe  and  visit  other  "  spheres  "  than  we  have ; 
they  are  held  here  by  the  same  laws  that  hold  us. 

My  informants  decline  giving  me  the  details  regarding 
death,  or  our  birth  into  another  world ;  and  I  confess 
that  I  am  not  anxious  to  have  such  information.  An 
indefinite  statement  of  the  subject,  then,  as  to  details, 
must  suffice. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  spiritual  body  in  man ; 
in  this  respect,  there  is  no  difference  between  a  human 
being  and  a  brute.  All  animate,  as  well  as  inanimate 


280  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

matter  of  our  world  is  permeated  by  the  matter  of  the 
other.  Our  bodies  and  brains,  therefore,  are  permeated 
by  the  matter  of  the  other  world.  When  the  body  dies, 
the  vital  principle,  as  it  has  been  called — and  I  can 
think  of  no  better  term — organizes  from  this  matter 
permeating  the  brain  a  new  body;  and  owing  to  the 
nature  of  this  matter,  the  development,  or  growth  of  the 
new  body,  is  very  rapid. 

I  admit  that  this  is  a  very  indefinite  statement  of  the 
subject;  but  I  think  most  persons  will  agree  with  me 
that,  if  it  is  at  all  accurate,  more  definite  information  is 
not  desirable.  Aside  from  the  unpleasant  nature  of  the 
subject,  there  is  another  reason  for  withholding  definite 
information.  The  truth  is,  that  the  second  birth  is  an 
operation  of  nature  which,  like  the  first,  may  be,  and 
sometimes  is,  frustrated.  There  are  unavoidable  acci- 
dents which  prevent  the  second  birth  taking  place  upon 
the  death  of  the  present  body  ;  and  which,  therefore,  so 
far  as  those  of  the  other  world  have  any  knowledge,  ter- 
minate the  individual's  existence.  Knowledge  of  the 
details  would,  therefore,  in  some  cases,  give  surviving 
relatives  and  friends  of  the  deceased  useless  pain.  Inter- 
ference with  the  second  birth,  except  from  accidents, 
may  be  avoided  by  observing  the  following  simple  rale : 
Let  the  corpse  be  placed  in  the  earth  or  in  a  vault,  with- 
out mutilation  or  embalmment,  to  undergo  the  ordinary 
processes  of  nature;  let  nothing  be  done  to  interfere 
with  or  obstruct  these  processes.  How  far  it  may  be 
prudent,  in  certain  cases  where  it  is  desirable  to  do  so, 
to  depart  from  this  rule,  I  cannot  undertake  to  define. 

It  would  seem  that  the  second  birth  creates  a  new 


DEATH   AND  ANOTHER  WORLD.  231 

being ;  and  why  there  exists  any  identity  between  the 
individual  that  died  and  the  one  that  is  born,  is  a  great 
mystery.  But  it  is  also  a  mystery,  though  perhaps  not 
so  great  a  one,  why  an  individual  retains  his  identity 
from  childhood  to  old  age.  I  can  only  state — and  this 
I  do  upon  my  own  knowledge — that  those  of  the  other 
world  have  a  very  distinct  recollection  of  their  life  in 
ours,  and  therefore  must  retain  their  identity. 

There  is  here  another  mystery,  or,  at  least,  a  fact  not 
easily  accounted  for.  As  the  bodies  of  brutes  are  also 
permeated  by  the  matter  of  the  other  world,  the  question 
naturally  arises,  Why  does  not  a  second  birth  take  place 
upon  the  death  of  a  brute?  The  mystery  of  birth  is 
unsolved  by  those  of  the  other  world,  as  by  ourselves, 
and  therefore  I  cannot  answer  this  question.  A  partial 
explanation,  however,  may  be  found  in  the  facts  that 
the  phenomenon  is  of  an  electrical  nature,  and  that  the 
vital  electricity,  or  nervous  fluid  of  a  human  being,  dif- 
fers from  that  of  a  brute. 

It  does  not  follow  that  because  an  individual  retains 
his  identity,  or  has  a  consciousness  of  past  existence,  on 
entering  the  other  world,  he  must  necessarily  possess 
the  same  characteristics  which  he  had  here.  There  is  a 
great  change  at  death ;  and  in  most  cases  for  the  worse. 
Owing  to  some  law  which  I  do  not  fully  understand, 
the  intellect  becomes,  in  most  pases,  weaker ;  and  vicious 
propensities  are  enormously  developed  The  develop- 
ment of  the  propensity  for  lying  is  especially  marvelous ; 
I  am  sensible  that  after  all  I  have  said,  and  may  here- 
after say  upon  this  subject,  I  shall  fail  to  give  the  reader 
a  correct  appreciation  of  it.  The  fact  that  so  many  of 


232  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  other  world  lie  when  there  is  no  inducement  for  ly- 
ing, can  only  be  accounted  for  by  bearing  in  mind  that 
while  this  propensity  is  increased  the  intellect  is  en- 
feebled. I  am  not  here  writing  solely  about  those  be- 
longing to  the  lowest,  or  most  vicious  class  in  our  world  ; 
a  very  large  proportion  of  those  belonging  to  the  most 
respectable  classes,  and  who  pass  for  individuals  of  com- 
mon integrity  and  sense,  will  become  lying  fools  on 
passing  into  the  other  world. 

This,  again,  is  somewhat  of  a  mystery.  It  must  be 
that  a  great  change  occurs  at  death  ;  for  the  males  who 
have  communicated  with  me  had  not,  when  they  first 
visited  me,  been  in  the  other  world  long  enough  to  have 
so  far  changed  in  character  from  any  conceivable  cause 
existing  there ;  or  to  have  become  so  enfeebled  in  in- 
tellect from  lack  of  its  proper  use.  It  occurred  to  me 
that  the  fact  that  these  men  had  been  so  recently  born 
into  the  other  world — that  they  were  so  young,  dating 
from  their  second  birth — might  account  for  their  lack 
of  wisdom,  though  hardly  for  their  propensity  for  lying. 
But  on  inquiring  about  this,  I  am  told  that  they  have 
now,  probably,  about  as  much  wisdom  as  they  ever  will 
have ;  and  the  fact  that  Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  M.  are  still  so 
childish  seems  to  confirm  this  statement 

Those  of  the  other  world  have,  as  compared  with 
ourselves,  but  little  physical  strength.  They  have  no 
need  of  such  strength  as  we  possess.  In  the  explana- 
tory narrative  I  have  stated  that  Mrs.  S.  attempted  to 
choke  me,  but  was  unable  to  do  so.  The  latter  fact 
was  owing  to  her  physical  weakness.  The  effort  was, 
as  it  appeared  to  me  at  the  time,  like  that  of  a  child  of 


DEATH  AND  ANOTHER   WORLD.  233 

our  world.  Spiritualists  tell  of  the  marvelous  feats  of 
strength  performed  by  the  spirits ;  but  I  have  never 
witnessed  anything  of  the  kind  myself  which  could  not 
have  been  done  by  a  child  of  our  world  ten  years  of 
age.  It  is  true,  however,  that  they  occasionally  perform 
actions  requiring  considerable  physical  strength  ;  but  on 
such  occasions  there  are  several  engaged  in  the  per- 
formance. 

The  senses  of  sight  and  hearing  are  the  same  in  those 
of  the  other  world  as  in  ourselves ;  and  all  bodies  which 
give  light  to  us,  give  light  also  to  them.  As  this  seems 
to  require  an  attempt  at  explanation,  the  following  the- 
ory— and  it  must  be  considered  as  only  a  theory — has 
been  given  me :  The  sun,  and  all  other  bodies  which 
are  visible  or  luminous  to  us,  are  permeated  by  matter 
resembling  that  of  the  world  connected  with  our  own  ; 
and  the  particles  of  light  which  render  objects  visible 
to  us  carry  with  them  a  counterpart,  or  duplicate,  in  this 
matter.  This  counterpart  is  arrested,  absorbed,  and  re- 
flected by  matter  of  the  other  world,  precisely  as  the 
particle  which  gives  light  to  us  is  by  matter  of  our 
world.  If,  then,  in  its  flight,  a  particle  of  light  meets  a 
body  constituted  solely  of  matter  of  the  other  world,  the 
counterpart  is  either  absorbed  or  reflected  by  this  body  ; 
the  particle  which  gives  light  to  us  is  not,  in  any  way, 
appreciably  affected  by  it.  If  the  particle  first  meets  a 
body  of  our  world,  and  is  reflected,  the  counterpart  is 
also  reflected  ;  if  absorbed,  the  counterpart  may  be  ab- 
sorbed, and  may  be  reflected ;  the  matter  of  the  other 
world  permeating  the  body  determines  this  point 

It  will  be  perceived  that,  according  to  this  theory,  all 


MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

bodies  which  are  visible  to  us  must  be  visible  to  those 
of  the  other  world,  provided  that  no  body  of  their  world 
intercepts  their  light ;  but  that  they  cannot  perceive  the 
colors  of  bodies  of  our  world,  nor  whether  a  body  is,  to 
us,  black  or  white.  Whether  the  theory  of  light  is  cor- 
rect or  not,  such,  I  am  informed,  is  the  fact 

The  sounds  of  our  world  are,  if 'loud  enough,  audible 
to  those  of  the  other ;  for  a  shock  communicated  to  our 
atmosphere  produces  a  shock  in  theirs.  But  the  minute 
shocks  produced  by  us  in  speaking,  are  not  reproduced 
in  their  atmosphere  with  sufficient  distinctness  to  enable 
them  to  understand  what  is  said.  "When  we  speak  with 
sufficient  loudness,  those  of  the  other  world  near  us  hear 
a  sound,  and  that  is  all ;  they  do  not  understand  what 
is  spoken.  This  fact  partly  explains  the  intense  desire 
of  many  of  the  other  world  to  be  en  rapport  with  one 
of  this.  They  see  as,  mingle  with  us,  yet  cannot  un- 
derstand what  is  said ;  and  have,  therefore,  but  an  im- 
perfect knowledge  of  what  is  going  on  in  our  world  ;  a 
world  much  more  attractive  to  them  than  their  own. 

It  may,  by  some,  be  thought  very  strange  that,  if  the 
other  world  is  such  as  I  have  described,  the  personations 
and  deceptions  practiced  through  mediums  are  not  pre- 
vented by  the  better  class.  But  those  who  would  be 
disposed  to  prevent  the  deceptions  if  it  were  possible, 
are  so  few  in  number,  comparatively  speaking,  that  they 
have  not  the  power  to  do  so. 

In  the  last  chapter  of  this  work  I  shall  give  narratives 
written  by  a  well-known  gentleman  residing  in  New 
York,  of  apparitions  witnessed  by  him,  purporting,  and 
believed  by  the  gentleman,  to  be  the  apparitions  of  his 


DEATH  AND  ANOTHER  WORLD.  235 

deceased  wife  and  Dr.  Franklin.  It  appears  to  me  suf- 
ficiently evident  from  the  gentleman's  own  narratives 
tuat  the  apparitions  and  communications  were  rather 
weak  decepiions ;  and  that  no  man  of  common  sense 
should  have  been  deceived  by  them.  Nevertheless,  the 
gentleman  was,  for  several  years,  thus  deceived ;  and, 
as  I  am  informed,  his  wife  was  advised  of  the  fact,  and 
would,  had  it  been  in  her  power,  have  prevented  the 
deceptions.  But  a  large  number  of  the  other  world 
were  engaged  in  these  deceptions ;  and  the  wife,  unas- 
sisted, or  with  such  assistance  as  she  could  procure,  had 
not  the  power  to  prevent  them. 

If,  of  every  one  hundred  persons  of  the  other  world, 
only  one  is  disposed  to  prevent  such  deceptions,  while 
ten  are  disposed  to  assist  in  them,  it  is  evident  that  the 
one  cannot  prevent  the  ten  from  practicing  them.  Now, 
Mr.  W.  and  the  Count  are  representatives  of  a  class 
which  is  far  from  being  the  lowest  one  of  the  other 
wor.ld.  They  would  not,  as  I  am  informed,  feel  any 
interest  in  such  deceptions  as  those  referred  to  in  the 
preceding  paragraph,  or  those  practiced  through  com- 
mon mediums.  Yet  they  would  not  lend  their  assist- 
ance in  preventing  them.  They  profess  to  believe  that 
the  communications  through  mediums  have,  upon  the 
whole,  done  more  good  than  harm ;  as  they  have  satis- 
fied, beyond  all  doubt,  many,  anxious  for  such  assur- 
ance, that  death  will  not  terminate  their  existence. 
But,  aside  from  this,  they  say  that  those  disposed  to 
practice  the  deceptions  are  so  numerous  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  prevent  them. 

There  is  one  comforting  fact  connected  with  this  mat- 
ter ;  the  vicious  of  the  other  world  have,  as  compared 


236  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

with  those  of  ours,  but  little  power  to  injure  others. 
This  is  a  subject  of  which  I  have  only  a  partial  concep- 
tion, and  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  attempt  an  ex- 
planation. 

What  I  have,  for  convenience,  called  the  other  world, 
may  more  properly  be  designated  as  man's  second  stage 
of  existence.  The  inhabitants  of  this  other  world  die  a 
second  time ;  and  those  now  living  there  have  no  actual 
knowledge  of  any  world  beyond,  or  of  any  future  state 
of  existence.  If  they  continue  to  exist  after  the  second 
death,  the  second  change  must,  I  infer,  be  greater  than 
the  first ;  for,  while  a  large  proportion  of  the  population 
of  our  world  has  always  believed  in  the  visits  of  ghosts 
and  spirits  who  manifest  their  presence — a  belief  which 
I  now  assume  to  have  been  founded  to  a  certain  extent 
on  facts — those  of  this  other  world  have  no  such  belief. 
If  the  inhabitants  of  a  world  beyond  theirs  visit  them, 
they  are  unable  to  communicate,  or  in  any  way  manifest 
their  presence. 

Of  course,  under  such  circumstances,  beliefs  regarding 
a  future  existence  vary  in  the  other  world,  as  in  ours ; 
and  it  would  be  aside  from  the  scope  of  this  work  to 
give  mere  theories  upon  such  a  subject.  Inasmuch, 
however,  as  I  have  stated  that  in  some  cases  there  is  no 
second  birth,  and  that  in  such  a  case  those  of  the  other 
world  have  no  knowledge  of  the  individual's  continued 
existence — from  which  it  might  be  inferred  that  they 
believe  his  existence  is  terminated — I  think  it  proper  to 
state  that  this  is  not  the  universal  belief  of  those  of  the 
other  world.  My  sister,  for  example,  still  believes  that 
all  human  beings  are  immortal ;  and  that  the  souls  of 


DEATH  "AND  ANOTHER  WORLD.  237 

those  who  died  without  the  formation  of  a  second  body 
continue  to  exist  In  short,  I  cannot  perceive  that  her 
views  regarding  a  future,  or  an  eternal  existence,  have 
at  all  changed  since  she  left  our  world ;  except,  of  course, 
as  regards  this  second  life  in  the  body.  Her  views,  I 
am  informed,  coincide  with  those  of  a  considerable  class 
of  her  world. 

There  is  another  beli  f  which,  as  I  have  entered  upon 
the  subject,  I  will  barely  state.  It  is  that  there  is  a 
third  birth,  analogous  to  the  second;  and  that,  as  the 
death  of  the  body  in  our  world  terminates  the  existence 
of  brutes,  so  death  of  the  body  in  the  second  world 
terminates  the  existence  of  the  larger  proportion  of  its 
inhabitants ;  only  the  comparatively  few  fitted  for  a 
future  existence  being  born  into  another  world. 

The  question  at  once  arises,  Where  is  this  other 
world?  It  may  be  merely  another  counterpart  of  our 
own.  But  according  to  the  view  I  now  have  of  matter, 
there  may  be  no  such  thing  in  the  universe  as  empty 
space ;  for,  unless  I  am  entirely  and  deliberately  de- 
ceived, what  to  us  appears  such,  or  only  occupied  by 
the  atmosphere,  is  to  other  beings  more  solid  than  the 
earth  upon  which  we  tread.  It  must  be  confessed,  how- 
ever, that,  assuming  I  have  received  correct  information, 
immortality  for  any  of  the  human  race  is  not  demon- 
strated 

That  a  birth,  such  as  has  been  rather  vaguely  de- 
scribed, should  take  place  upon  the  death  of  the  body, 
appeared  to  me,  as  it  will  to  the  reader,  a  breach  in  the 
uniformity  of  the  operations  of  the  laws  of  nature.  Upon 
indicating  this,  I  was  given  a  theory  which,  although  it 


238  MODEKN  DIABOLISM. 

has  no  direct  bearing  upon  my  subject,  I  will  briefly 
state.  It  is  mainly  a  deduction  from  phenomena  wit- 
nessed at  the  death  of  a  human  being  of  our  world  by 
those  of  the  other ;  and  I  understand  it  to  be  the  theory 
generally  held  by  those  of  the  other  world  most  compe- 
tent to  form  one  upon  the  subject 

The  theory  is,  that  the  advance  in  our  world  from  the 
lowest  to  the  highest  forms  of  animal  life,  or  the  origin  of 
species,  has  not  been  by  natural,  or  ordinary  generation, 
but  by  births  occurring  in  a  manner  analogous  to  that 
of  man  into  another  world. 

It  is  assumed  that  owing  to  the  great  and  successive 
changes  which  the  earth  and  its  atmosphere  have  under- 
gone, there  have  been  periods  in  its  history  when  the 
conditions  for  such  births  were  favorable,  and  when,  as 
now,  they  were  unfavorable ;  and  that  during  the  favor- 
able periods — that  is,  favorable  in  the  cases  of  certain 
species — when  an  animal  died,  a  birth  of  a  different 
species  took  place  from  its  body,  or,  in  the  case  of  an 
animal  having  a  brain,  from  the  brain. 

If  the  account  given  me  of  man's  birth  into  another 
world  is  correct,  this  theory  has,  at  least,  some  plausi- 
bility ;  and  as  the  theory  of  light  given  me  exhibits  con- 
siderable ingenuity,  I  presume  this  would  also  if  the 
details  were  given.  But  I  have  not  attempted  to  get  a 
full  statement  of  the  theory,  as  to  give  it  here  would 
occupy  too  much  space ;  and,  besides,  it  is  not  within  the 
scope  of  this  work. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

EXPLANATIONS   OF   "HENOMENA  CALLED   SPIRITUAL. 

THE  phenomena  designated  by  some  as  spiritual,  or 
the  performances  of  spirits,  may  be  divided  into  two 
classes ;  one  class  being  performed  by  action  upon,  or 
through,  the  nervous  Astern  of  the  so-called  medium ; 
the  other,  by  using  the  electricity  of  the  medium  to  effect 
changes  in  matter.  The  former  class  may  be  designated 
as  mental,  the  latter  as  physical  phenomena,  speaking 
with  reference  to  the  beings  of  the  other  world.  I  will 
first  notice  the  former  class. 

For  the  production  of  the  phenomena,  there  must 
either  exist  naturally,  or  be  created,  a  certain  degree  of 
affinity  between  an  individual  of  the  other  world  and 
the  medium.  This  affinity,  so  far  as  it  can  be  under- 
stood, consists  in  a  certain  degree  of  similarity,  or  a 
similarity  in  a  certain  respect,  in  the  electricity  of  the 
two  individuals.  All  the  sensations  received  by  the 
brain,  and  all  the  operations  of  the  will,  are  of  an  elec- 
trical nature ;  and  in  order  that  one  of  the  other  world 
may  act  upon,  or  control  the  nervous  organization  of 
one  of  ours,  there  must  exist,  in  a  certain  respect,  an 
affinity  in  the  electricity  of  the  two  individuals.  By  the 
electricity,  I  mean  here  what  is  sometimes  called  vital 
electricity,  sometimes  nervous  fluid;  it  is  simply  one 
form  or  state  of  electricity.  For  convenience,  I  will 
designate  it  as  vital  electricity. 


240  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

The  common  electricity  of  the  other  world  differs 
from  that  of  our  world ;  and  the  vital  electricities  of  the 
two  worlds  also  differ.  The  vital  electricity  of  a  human 
being  differs  from  that  of  a  lower  animal ;  and  that  of 
an  intellectual  man  differs  from  that  of  an  unintellectual 
man,  whether  in  our  world  or  the  other.  Now,  it  is  a 
fact  which  I  cannot  explain,  that  the  very  lowest  class 
of  the  other  world,  the  most  unintellectual  and  stupid 
beings,  are  the  nearest  affinities  to  people  of  our  world. 
An  intellectual  person  of  the  other  world  cannot  control 
the  nervous  organization  of  eith^an  intellectual  or  un- 
intellectual person  of  our  world  ;  that  is,  when  the  lat- 
ter is  in  his  normal  condition.  Mediums,  as  a  class,  are 
not  very  intellectual ;  but,  generally,  they  are  not  as 
stupid  as  the  beings  who  communicate  through  them. 
I  have  given  of  the  communications  of  the  Count 
enough  to  show  that  he  is  not  excessively  intellectual ; 
but  in  my  normal  condition  he  could  not  communicate 
with  me  at  all ;  nor  could  he  with  any  other  person  of 
our  world  ;  for  this  purpose  he  is  too  intellectual.  This 
explains  why  all  the  communications  which  have  been 
received  from  the  other  world  are  so  excessively  stupid. 

Miss  McCauley,  who,  if  in  our  wor]4,  would  be  con- 
sidered an  idiot,  and  treated  as  such,  is  an  average  spe- 
cimen of  those  who  communicate  through  mediums. 
When  I  sat  in  my  room  for  the  purpose  of  receiving 
communications,  she  had  not  sufficient  power  to  move 
my  hand  when  at  rest,  and  her  power  to  guide  it  was 
almost  imperceptible.  Since  that  time  an  instrument 
has  come  into  use  called  Planchette.  It  is  a  small  tri- 
angular, or  heart-shaped  board,  mounted  on  wheels  and 
carrying  a  pencil,  on  which  the  medium  places  his  hand. 


EXPLANATIONS   OF  PHENOMENA.  241 

The  only  purpose  this  instrument  serves  is,  to  enable 
the  one  of  the  other  world  to  move  more  easily  the  hand 
of  the  medium — which  carries  the  hoard  with  it — than 
when  it  rests  on  the  paper.  The  cause  for  my  hand 
moving  backward,  or  from  right  to  left,  was,  that  the 
muscles  which  move  the  right  arm  from  right  to  left 
are  more  powerful  than  those  which  move  it  in  the  con 
trary  direction ;  and,  at  first,  the  will  of  Miss  McCauley 
had  not  entire  control  of  the  electric  currents  which 
moved  the  arm. 

Practice  in  writing,  that  is,  in  the  control  of  my  arm, 
increased  the  rapport  of  Miss  McCauley  ;  but  I  should 
probably  never  have  become  much  of  a  medium  had 
not  Mrs.  S.  visited  me.  "Why  the  degree  of  blood-rela- 
tionship existing  between  us  should  make  Mrs.  S.  an 
affinity  in  the  respect  here  indicated,  is  a  mystery; 
especially  as  neither  my  mother  or  sister  were  able  to 
communicate  with  me  in  my  normal  condition.  Whether 
if  Mrs.  S.  had  been  present  when  I  first  sat  for  commu- 
nications she  would  have  been  able  to  control  my  arm, 
or  not,  my  informants  do  not  feel  certain.  But  when 
Miss  McCauley  had  placed  her  to  a  certain  degree  en 
rapport,  her  power  rapidly  increased.  The  increase  of 
power  was  owing  to  a  change  in  the  electricity  of  each 
of  us,  by  which  the  two  electricities  became  assimilated. 
It  may,  to  some,  seem  strange  that  any  change  of  this  kind 
can  be  produced  without  inj  uring  a  person's  health.  But 
when  two  individuals  of  our  world  are  closely  associated, 
say  a  man  and  his  wife,  such  changes,  as  I  am  informed, 
occur  without  perceptibly  injuring  the  health  of  either. 
So  long  as  the  individual  of  the  other  world  remains 
with  the  medium,  the  latter's  health,  I  think,  does  not 


242  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

suffer  from  the  mere  connection ;  though,  of  course,  the 
one  of  the  other  world  may  injure  the  medium ;  and 
the  use  of  his,  or  her,  electricity  for  the  production  of 
physical  phenomena  is  always  injurious.  But  there  is 
danger  to  the  one  of  our  world  in  violently  severing  the 
connection  if  it  has  Become  very  intimate. 

Mrs.  S.,  soon  after  becoming  able  to  write  with  facil- 
ity, became  able  to  communicate  by  simply  moving  my 
hand  as  in  the  act  of  writing;  no  legible  characters 
being  formed.  The  operation  was  merely  an  impres- 
sion produced  by  her  mind  on  mine,  aided  by  the  move- 
ment of  my  hand  as  in  the  act  of  writing  the  words. 
Subsequently,  when  receiving  communications  by  writ- 
ing, I  sometimes  knew  what  word  would  be  written  as 
soon  as  it  was  commenced,  sometimes  I  knew  in  ad- 
vance what  the  whole  sentence  would  be;  at  other 
times  I  had  no  idea  what  the  word  would  be  until  it 
was  completed. 

Finally,  I  became  able  to  hear  Mrs.  S.,  and  others  of 
her  world,  speak  ;  and  to  me  the  sensation  is  precisely 
the  same  as  hearing  one  of  our  world,  except  that  I  am 
unable  to  distinguish  so  clearly  a  difference  in  the  voices 
of  different  individuals.  In  fact,  I  cannot  perceive  any 
difference  in  the  voices  of  the  several  females  who  have 
conversed  with  me ;  but  I  can  generally,  if  not  always, 
recognize  the  voice  of  the  Count,  the  only  male  of  the 
other  world  who  has  conversed  orally  with  me.  I  am 
informed  that  the  phenomenon  is  not  the  same  as  when 
one  of  our  world  speaks  to  me.  In  the  latter  case,  as  I 
have  said,  the  sensation  of  sound  is  produced  by  a  suc- 
cession of  electric  shocks  conveyed  to  the  brain.  "When 
one  of  the  other  world  speaks,  the  sensation  of  sound  is 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.  243 

produced  by  electric  shocks,  but  the  discharge  is  from 
the  brain.  In  order  that  I  may  hear  one  of  the  other 
world,  the  rapport  must,  at  the  time,  be  very  intimate. 
The  minute  and  rapid  movements  of  the  organs  of 
speech  in  speaking,  produce  corresponding  vacuums  of 
electricity  in  the  brain  of  the  speaker ;  and,  the  rapport 
being  so  intimate,  these  vacuums  produce  corresponding 
shocks,  by  discharges,  in  my  brain.  But  the  very  mi- 
nute shocks,  which  determine  the  quality  of  sound,  are 
not  so  distinctly  experienced  as  when  one  of  our  world 
speaks  ;  therefore  I  cannot  so  clearly  distinguish  voices. 
It  is  a  very  remarkable  fact  that  I  never  fail  to  under- 
stand what  is  spoken ;  but  this  is  in  a  great  degree 
owing  to  the  impression  produced  on  my  mind  by  that 
of  the  speaker. 

As  one  of  the  other  world,  sufficiently  en  rapport  with 
one  of  ours,  may  communicate  by  impression — that  is, 
without  writing  or  speaking — so  the  former  may  receive 
from  the  latter  communications  in  the  same  way.  And 
owing  to  the  greater  sensitiveness  to  impression  of  the 
one  of  the  other  world,  he  may  be  able  to  know  what 
passes  in  the  mind  of  one  of  our  world,  when  the  rapport 
is  not  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  communicate  in  any  way. 
This  cannot  be  fully  explained,  for  the  reason  that  it  is 
utterly  impossible  to  understand  the  connection  of  mind 
with  matter ;  but  the  primary  operation — that  which  pro- 
duces the  mental  impression,  or  conveys  the  knowledge 
— is  of  an  electrical  nature.  Visitors  to  mediums  are 
generally  requested  to  write  the  names  of  friends  from 
whom  they  wish  communications.  The  operation 
brings  the  names  into  distinctness  in  the  mind  of  the 
visitor,  and  thus  enables  one  of  the  other  world  with 


244  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

the  medium  to  read  them.  Generally,  also,  it  can  be 
perceived  which  of  the  individuals  whose  names  are 
written  the  visitor  would  prefer  hearing  from  ;  and  some- 
times certain  facts,  such  as  the  appearance  of  the  indi- 
vidual, and  even  an  incident  connected  with  him,  can  be 
learned  from  the  visitor's  mind.  Of  course  there  is,  in 
this  respect,  a  great  difference  in  visitors  ;  therefore  some 
receive  satisfactory  "  tests,"  while  others  do  not  And 
many  who  receive  the  satisfactory  tests  through  me- 
diums are  constantly  accompanied,  without  their  knowl- 
edge, by  one  of  the  other  world,  who  thus  has  an  oppor- 
tunity of  learning,  at  different  times,  incidents  to  be 
given  as  tests  of  identity. 

Hallucinations  of  vision  are  also  produced  by  those 
of  the  other  world;  the  mental  image  being  formed  in 
the  brain,  and  reproduced,  by  impression  in  the  brain  of 
one  of  our  world ;  the  latter,  perhaps,  claiming  to  be  a 
"  seer."  When  a  person  experiences  an  ordinary  hallu- 
cination, unless  deranged,  he  generally  knows  that  it  is 
an  hallucination,  and  nothing  more ;  but  when  produced 
by  one  of  the  other  world,  the  power  which  enables  the 
latter  to  produce  it  enables  him  also  to  influence  the 
judgment  of  the  one  experiencing  the  hallucination,  and 
to  make  him  believe  that  he  really  sees  what  is  pre- 
sented to  his  mental  vision.  In  explanation  of  the  phe- 
nomena, I  will  relate  two  incidents  occurring  in  my  own 
experienca 

When  my  mother  first  succeeded  in  identifying  her- 
self, one  of  the  written  communications,  given  as  tests 
of  identity,  was  partly  illegible,  and  I  could  not  read  it 
I  could  only  make  out  that  she  had  accidentally  broken 
something  which  she  had  purchased  the  same  day. 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.       245 

Now,  although  I  had  requested  that  the  incidents  given 
should  not  be  matters  of  importance,  but  trifling  ones, 
such  as  would  not  be  likely  to  have  made  any  impres- 
sion on  my  mind  at  the  time,  yet  I  thought  it  must  have 
been  something  valuable  that  was  broken.  After  try- 
ing for  some  time  to  recollect  what  it  could  be,  and  en- 
deavoring, ineffectually,  to  have  the  communication  per- 
fected, I  saw,  apparently  two  or.  three  feet  distant  from 
and  on  a  level  with  my  eyes,  a  familiar  teapot,  one  that 
had  been  in  the  possession  of  our  family  as  long  as  I 
could  recollect.  As  I  now  saw  it,  it  was  broken ;  but  I 
knew  it  was  not  broken  on  the  day  it  was  bought ;  and, 
in  fact,  I  was  sure  that  the  last  time  I  saw  it — though  I 
could  not  recollect  when  that  was — it  was  perfectly 
whole.  While  thinking  what  connection  this  could 
have  with  the  communication,  I  saw  another  teapot,  en- 
tirely different  in  form  and  color  from  the  familiar  one, 
but  broken  precisely  as  the  latter  appeared  ;  and  I  then 
recollected  that  one  evening  at  tea,  such  a  teapot  had 
been  broken,  when  my  mother  remarked  that  she  had 
purchased  it  that  day.  Of  course,  such  a  trifling  inci- 
dent made  no  impression  on  my  memory ;  but  it  ap- 
pears to  have  done  so  on  that  of  my  mother,  and  as 
I  asked  for  trifling  incidents  she  gave  this.  Being  un- 
able to  complete  the  communication,  she  endeavored  to 
produce  an  apparition  of  the  teapot;  but  from  some 
cause,  although  her  recollection  was  perfect,  she  hap- 
pened at  the  moment  to  have  the  more  familiar  one  in 
her  mind. 

Some  time  after  my  sister  became  able,  with  the  aid 
of  Mrs.  S.,  to  converse  orally  with  me,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  she  was  frequently  personated  by  Mrs.  S.,  I  became 


246  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

suspicious  that  she  had  not  conversed  with  me  at  all, 
but  had  given  the  incidents  which  satisfied  me  of  her 
presence  to  Miss  M.,  who,  at  that  time,  I  supposed  was 
the  one  assisting.  I,  therefore,  one  evening  requested 
my  sister,  if  she  had  actually  conversed  with  me  direct, 
to  satisfy  me  of  the  fact ;  and  it  occurred  to  me  that  a 
satisfactory  mode  would  be  to  produce  her  appearance 
in  dresses  which  I  had  forgotten,  but  which  might  be 
recalled  to  my  recollection.  She  then  appeared  in  a 
dress — a  figured  one — which  I  thought  I  perfectly  re- 
cognized ;  but  I  was  told  there  was  a  stripe  in  it  which 
I  did  not  see ;  then  I  saw  and  recollected  the  stripe,  a 
very  narrow  one.  This  shows  how  clearly  she  could 
perceive  what  my  perceptions  were,  and  also  that  mi- 
nute images  are  not  as  distinctly  reproduced  as  larger 
ones.  While  the  dress  was  presented  to  my  view,  I  saw 
no  bonnet,  the  latter  not  being  in  her  mind ;  but  imme- 
diately afterward  several  bonnets  appeared  in  succes- 
sion on  her  head,  the  appearance  being  as  though  one 
changed  into  another.  Three  thus  made  their  appear- 
ance ;  the  two  first  I  recognized,  the  third  I  did  not ;  it 
appeared  to  me  to  be  made  of  dark  silk  or  satin,  but  I 
was  told  it  was  velvet ;  even  then,  however,  I  could  not 
distinctly  recollect  it 

Such,  when  not  merely  the  product  of  a  disordered 
nervous  system,  are  the  visions  of  "  seers ; "  though 
some  of  the  seers  pretend  to  have  visions  when  they 
have  not  even  hallucinations.  As  the  matter  of  the 
other  world,  whether  animate  or  inanimate,  does  not 
reflect  the  light  by  which  objects  become  visible  to  us, 
no  one  of  our  world  can  see  the  other  or  its  inhabitants. 

There  are  many  persons  who  do  not  believe  in  Spir- 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.       247 

itualism,  and  do  believe  in  clairvoyance.  But  the  lat- 
ter is  also  a  delusion  ;  there  is  no  such  faculty  in  man. 
Many  occurrences  attributed  to  clairvoyance  should  be 
attributed  to  the  agency  of  beings  of  the  other  world. 
I  have  stated  in  the  introductory  narrative  that  one  of 
the  invisible  beings  with  me  at  Trenton  went  to  an- 
other hotel  and  found  a  gentleman  seated  at  a  small 
desk.  She  might  have  ascertained  what  he  was  doing, 
and,  except  as  to  color,  have  described  with  tolerable 
accuracy  his  dress  and  appearance.  Once  at  Long 
Branch,  to  test  their  accuracy,  I  requested  one  of  them 
to  go  and  ascertain  the  number  of  individuals  seated 
where  from  my  position  I  could  not  see  all  of  them. 
On  receiving  the  report,  I  went  and  counted  them,  and 
found  the  number  given  me  to  be  correct  Information 
of  this  nature  can  be  given  by  those  of  the  other  world ; 
they  see  the  forms  of  our  world ;  and  where  the  rapport 
is  such  that  the  information  is  conveyed  to  one  of  our 
world  by  impression  solely,  the  latter  may  honestly  be- 
lieve, and  may  induce  others  to  believe,  that  he  pos- 
sesses an  abnormal  faculty  of  perception.  But  as  those 
of  the  other  world  cannot  distinguish  colors  of  our 
world,  it  is  easy  to  test  this  faculty  of  clairvoyance. 
Place  a  slip  of  paper  containing  either  written  or  printed 
matter — the  matter  being  unknown  to  any  one  of  our 
world — in  an  envelope,  or  where  it  cannot  be  read  by 
any  one  of  good  natural  eyesight,  and  it  will  be  found 
that  no  clairvoyant  or  seer  can  read  the  paper. 

This  connection  between  one  of  the  other  world  and 
one  of  ours,  does  not  differ,  except  in  degree,  from  what 
is  known  as  mesmerism.  And  it  differs  in  degree  partly 
because  the  connection  is  longer  and  more  constant 


248  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

One  of  the  other  world  may  be,  and  often  is,  with  one 
of  this  constantly  for  months  and  even  years ;  the  mes- 
merizer  js  with  his  subject  occasionally  for  two  or  three 
hours,  at  most,  at  a  time. 

One  common  phenomenon  is,  answering  letters  by 
mediums  without  opening  them.  During  my  earlier 
investigations,  I  sent  to  a  celebrated  medium  in  Boston, 
who  devoted  his  whole  time  to  this  business,  a  letter 
containing  two  classes  of  questions.  The  first  class 
could  be  answered  by  any  one  who  read  the  letter ;  the 
second  class  could  only  be  answered  by  the  person  to 
whom  the  letter  was  addressed.  The  letter  was  en- 
closed in  two  envelopes,  the  outer  one  carefully  sealed 
with  wax  stamped  with  a  peculiar  seal.  No  name  was 
written  on  this  envelope,  the  package  was  simply  en- 
closed in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  medium.  The  pack- 
age was  returned,  as  I  know,  without  having  been 
opened,  with  a  letter  over  the  signature  of  the  individ- 
ual to  whom  mine  was  addressed,  answering  the  first 
series  of  questions  only  ;  those  questions  which  the  in- 
dividual whose  name  was  signed  to  the  letter  could 
have  answered,  were  not  noticed  at  all. 

The  simple  explanation  of  the  matter  is,  that  one  of 
the  other  world  was  with  me  when  I  wrote  the  letter, 
and  obtained  from  irfy  mind — not  by  reading  the  let- 
ter— a  knowledge  of  the  contents ;  she,  or  another  one, 
then  went  to  Boston  acd  communicated  to  the  one  in 
control  of  the  medium  the  contents  ;  the  envelope,  which 
was  duplicated  in  matter  of  the  other  world,  having 
been  marked  so  as  to  be  identified  when  it  came  before 
the  medium.  These  mediums  do  not  pretend  to  be  able 
to  answer  all  letters  sent  them ;  and  if  any  person,  hav- 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.       249 

ing  accidentally  heard  of  such  a  medium,  should  at  once 
sit  down  and  write  a  letter,  the  probability  is  that  it 
would  not  be  answered.  But  most,  if  not  all,  of  these 
letters  are  written  by  individuals  who  have  visited  me- 
diums, or  sat  in  "  circles,"  and  thus  become  interested 
in  the  subject ;  and  a  large  proportion  of  such  individ- 
uals are  accompanied  by  those  of  the  other  world. 

The  idea  entertained  by  most  who  are  not  Spiritual- 
ists, that  the  medium  opens  the  letters — which  is  tanta- 
mount to  saying  that  'it  is  impossible  so  carefully  to 
enclose  and  seal  a  letter  as  to  prevent  it  being  opened 
without  detection — is  really  about  as  absurd  as  any- 
thing in  Spiritualism.  The  truth  is,  it  is  not  necessary 
that  the  medium  should  be  given  an  opportunity  to 
open  the  letter.  The  writer  may  carry  it  to  the  me- 
dium, and  not  suffer  it  to  pass  out  of  his  sight  until 
answered.  The  answers,  as  might  be  expected,  are  un- 
satisfactory -except  to  credulous  persons ;  they  show 
little  more,  as  a  rule,  than  the  fact  that  the  writer,  or 
dictator,  has  a  knowledge  of  the  contents  of  the  letter. 

But  it  is  the  second  class  of  phenomena,  the  physical, 
which  has  excited  the  greatest  interest ;  and,  in  fact, 
modern  Spiritualism  owes  its  rise  and  rapid  spread 
mainly  to  these  startling  occurrences.  Writing-me- 
diums would,  probably,  never  have  been  developed 
but  for  the  fact  that  a  belief  in  the  presence  of  invisible 
beings  was  created  by  the  physical  phenomena.  This 
belief  formed,  individuals  were  induced — sometimes 
being  so  directed  by  the  "  raps  " — to  sit  and  hold  their 
hands  passively  for  the  "  spirits"  to  write.  The  devel- 
opment of  a  writing-medium  requires  considerable  time  ; 


250  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  rapport  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  medium's  elec- 
tricity in  the  production  of  physical  phenomena  can  be 
speedily  acquired.  Seers  have  existed  in  all  ages  ;  but 
belief  in  their  visions  was  nearly  extinct  when  the 
"  Eochester  knockings,"  to  some  extent,  revived  the 
faith. 

The  first  thing  to  be  here  explained,  if  such  expla- 
nation were  possible,  would  be  matter ;  but  I  find  that 
my  invisible  informants  know  no  more  about  matter, 
solely  as  such,  than  we  do.  But  this  much,  at  least,  I 
have  learned  to  be  a  certainty ;  namely,  that  what  to  us 
is  a  granite  rock,  offers  no  resistance  to  the  passage  of 
another  individual ;  and  what  to  another  individual  is 
solid  substance,  may  be  imperceptible  in  any  way  by 
us.  One  thing  further  relative  to  matter  I  have  learned, 
provided,  of  course,  that  my  informants  are  not  deliber- 
ately deceiving  me  as  to  facts  within  their  knowledge  ; 
that  is,  that  our  only  knowledge  of  it  is  through  the 
agency  of  electricity.  Of  course,  we  have  no  knowl- 
edge of  electricity  other  than  the  effects  it  produces. 

As  the  matter  of  our  world,  whether  living  or  inani- 
mate, offers  no  resistance  to  that  of  the  other  in  its  nor- 
mal condition,  living  or  inanimate,  the  question  arises, 
How  can  the  inhabitants  of  the  other  world  move  a 
body — say  a  table — of  our  world  ?  The  matter  of  the 
two  worlds  does  not  differ  so  greatly  as  would  naturally 
be  supposed  ;  and  that  of  either  world  is  capable  of  un- 
dergoing changes  which  assimilate  it  to  the  matter  of 
the  other.  The  agent  which  effects  this  change  is  elec- 
tricity. 

For  the  purpose  of  moving  bodies  of  our  world,  writ- 
ing without  using  the  hand  of  a  medium,  playing  on 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.       251 

musical  instruments,  and  performing  other  like  phe- 
nomena by  one  of  the  other  world,  a  pair  of  gloves  to 
be  worn  by  the  latter  are  subjected  to  a  certain  chemical 
process.  Now,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  whether  one 
body  offers  resistance  to  another,  or  not,  depends  upon 
the  electrical  condition  of  the  bodies.  In  their  normal 
electrical  condition,  a  table  of  our  world  would  offer  no 
resistance  to  the  gloves.  But  the  individual  who  wears 
these  gloves  is  en  rapport  with  one  of  our  world ;  the 
electricity  of  the  two  has  become  assimilated,  and  is 
therefore  not  precisely  the  natural  electricity  of  either 
world,  but  of  an  intermediate  quality.  This  electricity, 
in  passing  from  the  hands  of  the  wearer,  penetrates  the 
gloves,  and,  in  consequence  of  the  chemical-  process  to 
which  they  have  been  subjected,  effects  a  change  in 
them  of  such  a  nature  that,  while  the  gloves  are  per- 
meated by  the  electricity,  they  resist  matter  of  both 
worlds  :  that  is,  they  offer  resistance  to  the  hands  of  the 
wearer  and  to  a  table  of  our  world  T$e  table  is  then 
moved  by  the  wearer  of  the  gloves  precisely  as  we  would 
move  it  with  our  hands.  When  a  body  of  any  consider- 
able weight  is  to  be  lifted,  similar  covering  is  prepared 
for  the  feet,  so  that  the  floor  will  also  offer  resistance. 

These  gloves  sometimes  become  so  far  changed  as  to 
reflect  the  particles  of  light  by  which  objects  are  ren- 
dered visible  to  us  ;  they  are  then  called  "  spirit-han  Is  " 
by  the  Spiritualists.  Sometimes  a  portion  of  the  arm 
is  covered  with  the  prepared  material;  and  thus  the 
singular  spectacle  is  presented  of,  apparently,  a  hand 
with  a  portion  of  the  arm  suspended  in  the  air  sup- 
ported by  nothing.  Sometimes— but  this  is  a  very  rare 
phenomenon — a  dress  with  a  mask,  are  thus  changed, 


252  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

and  made  visible  to  those  of  our  world ;  and  Spiritual- 
ists believe  that  in  such  cases  a  spirit  is  actually  seen  ; 
though  they  appear  to  have  no  definite  idea  as  to  bow 
a  spirit  could  make  itself  visible  at  one  time,  when  it  is 
invisible  at  another.  As  the  masks  would  not  bear 
critical  examination,  these  figures  are  always  exhibited 
in  a  very  feeble  light;  a  fact,  however,  which  excites 
no  suspicion  in  the  minds  of  Spiritualists.  An  exhibi- 
tion of  this  kind  is,  as  I  have  said,  very  rare ;  it  requires 
a  very  good  medium,  and  considerable  care  and  time  in 
the  preparation  of  the  dress.  I  have  never  witnessed  one 
myself,  and  have  read  but  few  accounts  of  such  which 
I  considered  authentic. 

Of  course,  for  tipping  tables,  and  various  other  phe- 
nomena, it  is  not  essential  that  the  prepared  material 
should  be  in  the  form  of  gloves  ;  sometimes  it  is  merely 
a  covering  for  the  hand  like  a  mitten  without  a  thumb ; 
sometimes  the  whole  hand  is  not  covered ;  all  that  is 
necessary  is  that  the  material  should  be  interposed  be- 
tween the  hand  and  the  body  to  be  moved.  There  is  a 
celebrated  medium  now  in  New  York  who,  to  satisfy 
visitors  that  writing  is  performed  by  the  "  spirits,"  puts 
a  mere  morsel  of  pencil  on  a  slate  and  holds  the  slate 
close  against  the  under  side  of  a  table,  the  slate  being 
kept  from  actual  contact  with  the  table  by  the  frame ; 
and  in  this  position  communications  are  written  on  the 
slate.  In  this  case,  merely  a  bit  of  material,  to  be 
placed  on  the  tip  of  one  finger,  is  chemically  prepared. 
The  one  of  the  other  world  then  reaching  through  the 
table  which  offers  no  resistance  to  his  hand,  and  placing 
himself  en  rapport  with  the  medium,  writes  as  one  of 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.       253 

our  world  might,  if  the  slate  was  on  the  top  of  the  table, 
by  placing  his  finger  on  the  morsel  of  pencil. 

The  "  raps  "  are  literally  such ;  being  made  with  the 
changed  material,  just  as  we  would  make  them  with 
our  fist,  or  some  hard  body  ;  though  the  material  does 
not  become  visible  to  us.  There  is  no  particular  diffi- 
culty in  understanding  the  latter  fact,  since,  theoretically 
at  least,  glass  might  be  so  perfectly  transparent  as  to  be 
invisible.  But  all  "  tipping-mediums  "  will  not  serve 
for  "rapping-mediums;"  for  the  latter  purpose  the  ma- 
terial must  undergo  greater  change  than  is  necessary  for 
the  former. 

I  think  the  reader  will  be  able  to  understand,  from 
what  I  have  said,  how  most  phenomena  of  this  class  are 
produced.  There  is,  however,  one  somewhat  common 
phenomenon,  the  method  of  producing  which  would 
not,  probably,  occur  to  him,  and  I  will  therefore  explain 
it  I  refer  to  the  production  of  letters  and  words  on 
the  person — generally,  for  convenience  of  exhibition,  on 
the  arm — of  the  medium. 

It  will  readily  be  understood,  from  what  I  have  said, 
how  indentations  of  any  form,  might  be  made  by  those 
of  the  other  world.  But  to  cause  names  to  appear  by 
indentations  would  be  difficult  without  preparing  a  plate 
for  the  purpose ;  and  this  is  impracticable  for  the  rea- 
son that  it  is  not  known  what  name,  or  names,  will  be 
wanted  until  the  visitor  calls.  For  this  purpose,  a  plate 
of  soft  material  is  chemically  prepared,  in  which,  when 
the  visitor  calls,  the  name  ascertained  to  be  wanted  is 
written  with  a  pointed  instrument,  the  letters  formed 
being  concave.  The  plate  being  then  placed  on  the 
arm  of  the  medium,  undergoes  through  his  electricity 


254  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  change  described,  and  being  formed  of  material  of 
an  attractive  or  drawing  nature— somewhat  like  a  draw- 
ing-plaster— the  flesh  of  the  arm  is  forcibly  drawn  into 
the  indentations  of  the  plate,  forming  on  the  arm  raised 
or  convex  letters,  which  are  of  a  purplish  tint  in  conse- 
quence of  the  blood  being  unnaturally  drawn  into  the 
convexities. 

For  the  production  of  these  phenomena,  the  elec- 
tricity of  some  individuals  is  much  more  serviceable 
than  that  of  others.  In  all  cases,  the  operation  is  inju- 
rious to  the  medium,  because  it  produces  an  unnatural 
discharge  and  consequent  exhaustion  of  electricity. 
No  person  can  endure  the  discharge  of  electricity  re- 
quired for  the  production  of  these  phenomena  for  any 
great  length  of  time ;  not  even  when  the  medium  sits 
in  a  "circle,"  which,  to  a  certain  extent,  supplies  him 
with  electricity.  The  amount  of  electricity  required 
varies  with  the  quality,  which  also  varies  in  different 
individuals.  With  a  large  proportion  of  men,  the 
amount  required  would  be  so  great  that  the  exhaustion 
would  soon  cause  the  death  of  the  individual. 

I  have  stated  that  Mrs.  S.  attempted  to  choke  me  by 
creating  the  so-called  "spirit-hands."  According  to  my 
recollection,  this  was  attempted  on  three  successive 
nights,  for  a  short  period  each  night  These  compara- 
tively brief  operations  produced  violent  palpitation  of 
the  heart,  and  partial  paralysis  of  the  limbs  ;  and  a  con- 
tinuance of  the  operations  would  soon  have  caused  my 
death.  Of  course,  therefore,  I  would  be  a  very  poor 
medium  for  the  production  of  the  physical  phenomena. 
As  I  have  already  said,  if  there  is  an  appearance  of  ego- 
tism in  these  explanations,  it  is  unavoidable.  The  truth 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.       255 

is,  that  the  best  mediums  for  the  production  of  the  phys- 
ical phenomena  are  very  unintellectual  individuals. 
This  is  what  I  am  told,  and  the  statement  accords  with 
my  own  observations.  So  far  as  I  have  any  knowledge 
of  these  mediums,  they  are  either  women,  or  men  low  in 
the  scale  of  intellectuality. 

That  the  one  of  the  other  world  is  able  to  cause  an 
unnatural  discharge  of  electricity  from  the  medium,  is 
a  fact  which  may  require  explanation.  This  power 
differs  only  in  degree  from  that  possessed  by  individu- 
als of  our  world.  The  simple  explanation  is,  that  the 
vital  electricity  is  controlled  by  the  will.  It  is  the  will 
which  sends  the  electricity  into  the  muscles  which  move 
the  limbs ;  and  long-continued  efforts  of  the  will  pro- 
duce an  exhaustion  of  electricity.  Now,  those  of  the 
other  world  possess  this  power  of  directing  the  electri- 
city by  the  will  to  a  greater  degree  than  we  do.  They 
can,  for  example,  when  they  have  the  gloves  on,  cause 
an  enormous  flow  of  electricity  into  their  hands,  and 
thus  produce  a  corresponding  discharge  from  their  hands 
through  the  gloves.  This  produces  rapid  exhaustion 
of  electricity ;  and  as  the  one  of  the  other  world  is  en 
rapport  with  the  medium,  the  exhaustion  in  the  former 
produces  exhaustion  in  the  latter.  For  some  reason, 
those  of  the  other  world  do  not  suffer  so  much  from 
this  exhaustion  of  electricity  as  those  of  our  world. 

When  my  mother  and  sister  were  endeavoring  to 
overcome  the  power  of  Miss  McCauley,  I  was  repeat- 
edly cautioned  not  to  think  of  past  occurrences,  and, 
especially,  to  avoid  thinking  of  myself.  The  occur- 
rences which  I  was  cautioned  to  avoid  thinking  of, 
were  such  as  took  place  when  Miss  McCauley  was  with 


256  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

me,  and  my  mother  and  sister  were  not.  It  seems  that 
the  rapport  is  increased  by  harmony,  or  coincidence  of 
thought;  and  these  occurrences  would  be  more  distinct 
in  the  mind  of  Miss  McCauley  than  in  that  of  my 
mother  or  sister,  who  had  only  heard  of  them,  or  learned 
of  them  for  the  first  time  by  my  thinking  of  them. 
This  is  all  the  explanation  I  am  able  to  give  of  the  first 
caution. 

The  second  was  for  a  different  reason.  Self-conscious- 
ness did  not  increase  the  rapport  of  Miss  McCauley,  but 
it  diminished  that  of  my  mother  and  sister.  The  rap- 
port is  due  to  an  interchange  of  electricity.  Now,  when 
an  individual  is  thinking  of  anything  outside  of  him- 
self, there  is  a  constant  flow  of  electricity  from  the  brain. 
When  one  person  is  engaged  in  earnest  conversation 
with  another,  or  when  one  merely  fixes  his  mind  in- 
tently on  another  without  speaking,  there  is  a  flow  of 
electricity  from  tho  former  to  the  latter.  But  when  a 
person's  thoughts  are  concentrated  upon  himself,  or 
turned  inwards,  the  outward  flow  of  electricity  is  in  a 
measure  stopped.  Self-consciousness  on  my  part  there- 
fore broke  the  connection,  or  stopped  the  interchange 
of  electricity,  between  my  mother,  sister,  and  myself. 
And  this  explains  the  fact  that  thinking  of  either  of  the 
individuals  with  me,  brought  him,  or  her,  more  inti- 
mately en  rapport;  there  was  a  more  free  interchange 
of  electricity. 

When  Mrs.  S.,  at  Trenton,  undertook  to  overcome  en- 
tirely the  power  of  Miss  McCauley,  as  she  was  unwilling 
to  give  her  own  name,  she  told  me  my  father  was  pres- 
ent, and  directed  me  to  think  of  him.  Miss  McCauley 
could  perceive  the  image  in  my  mind  ;  but  as  Mi's.  S. 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.  257 

had  been  acquainted  with  my  father,  and  Miss  McCau- 
ley  had  not,  the  thoughts  of  the  former  would  more 
nearly  coincide  with  my  own  than  those  of  the  latter. 
A  great  change  could  not,  however,  be  effected  in  so 
short  a  time  ;  and  therefore  the  night's  operations  had 
no  very  important  result  I  have  since  wondered,  as 
Mrs.  S.  and  Miss  M.  are  not  very  wise,  that  they  did 
not  remove  Miss  McCauley  by  force.  The  explanation 
given  me  is,  that  such  connections  are  now  so  common 
it  is  understood  by  almost  every  one  in  their  world  that 
a  forcible  removal  is  dangerous  to  the  individual  of  our 
world. 

By  substantially  the  same  process  as  that  through 
which  matter  of  the  other  world  is  rendered  visible  and 
perceptible  to  the  touch  of  an  inhabitant  of  this,  matter 
of  our  world  may  be  rendered  invisible  to  us,  and  im- 
perceptible to  our  touch  ;  and  when  a  body  has  been 
thus  changed,  other  matter  of  our  world  in  its  normal 
condition  offers  no  resistance  to  the  body.  In  this  case, 
it  is  the  electricity  of  the  other  world  which  effects  the 
change ;  the  only  use  of  the  medium  being  to  enable 
those  of  the  other. world  to  handle  the  body  and  give  it 
the  chemical  preparation.  Some  of  the  phenomena 
occurring  in  the  presence  of  mediums  are  explained  by 
this  fact ;  but  such  phenomena  are  not  so  common  as 
others,  for  the  obvious  reason  that  it  is  more  difficult 
for  those  of  the  other  world  to  prepare  a  body  of  our 
world  than  one  of  their  own.  • 

If  the  explanations  given  are  correct,  it  is,  of  course, 
impossible  thus  to  change  living  matter,  either  of  our 
own  or  the  other  world.  So  far  as  I  can  recollect,  I 


258  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

have  never  heard  or  read  of  an  occurrence  in  the  United 
States  where  it  was  pretended  that  a  living  body  was 
carried  through  solid  matter.  But  some  time  since  I 
read,  in  the  London  Spiritual  Magazine,  an  account  of 
a  woman  (a  medium)  being  carried  by  the  "  spirits " 
from  her  own  house  in  London  to  another,  and  into  a 
room  where  a  "  circle  "  was  seated,  the  openings  of  the 
room  being  closed.  This  was  the  statement  of  the 
woman  and  the  belief  of  the  writer  of  the  article ;  the 
facts  known  by  the  writer  were  simply,  that  when  the 
room  was  darkened  the  woman  was  not  in  it,  when  it 
was  again  lighted  she  was  standing  on  a  table  in  the 
room. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  explain  such  performances  as  the 
above,  or  all  the  phenomena  reported  by  Spiritualists  as 
occurring  in  darkened  rooms.  It  would  be  very  strange, 
considering  what  kind  of  persons  many  of  the  mediums 
are,  if  there  was  never  any  trickery  when  ample  oppor- 
tunity for  it  is  given.  But  it  should  be  evident,  even  to 
Spiritualists,  that  the  phenomena  must  be  governed  by 
some  law,  and  therefore  must  be  of  an  uniform  character. 
Now,  those  generally  recognized  as  being  the  best 
mediums,  such  as  the  Fox  sisters  in  this  country  and  Mr. 
Home  in  England,  do  not  pretend  that  they  are  ever 
carried  through  solid  walls. 

Another  performance  in  darkened  rooms  never  occurs, 
so  far  as  I  am  informed,  when  either  of  these  individuals 
is  the  medium  ;  namely,  speaking  by  the  "  spirits,"  as 
pretended,  in  audible  vofces ;  that  is,  voices  audible  to 
all  in  the  room.  Sometimes  the  "  spirits  "  and  mediums 
combine  for  deception.  There  are,  or  have  been,  public 
mediums  who  practice  speaking  through  trumpets,  pre- 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  PHENOMENA.       259 

tending  that  the  speaking  is  done  by  the  spirits.  As 
the  medium's  limbs  are  fastened,  and  the  trumpet  is 
placed  beyond  his  reach  before  the  room  is  darkened, 
and  is  in  the  same  position  when  it  is  again  lighted,  the 
inference  that  the  speaking  was  by  the  spirits  is  a  natural 
one.  But  the  "  spirits  "  merely  placed  the  trumpet  to 
the  mouth  of  the  medium,  and  the  speaking  was  by  the 
latter. 

Most  persons,  however,  naturally  conclude  that  all 
performances  in  darkened  rooms,  and  in  dark  cabinets, 
are  merely  attempts  at  deception.  The  conclusion  is  a 
natural  one,  since  no  sensible  reason  is  given  why  the 
phenomena  only  occur  in  darkness.  It  is,  nevertheless, 
an  erroneous  conclusion ;  but  no  sensible  reason  can  be 
given  why  darkness  is  preferred,  except  upon  the  hypoth- 
esis that  the  performers  are  not  sensible  persons.  Of 
course,  darkness  is  preferred  because  the  performers 
wish  to  conceal  the  mode  of  operation;  but  there  is 
nothing  gained  in  always  concealing  entirely  the  mode 
of  operation. 

For  example,  many  of  the  most  startling  phenomena 
are  produced,  as  I  have  stated,  by  creating  what  Spirit- 
ualists call  "spirit-hands."  The  so-called  spirits  volun- 
tarily exhibit  these  hands,  asserting  that  they  are  their 
own  hands,  which  they  have  power  to  make  visible  and 
perceptible  to  the  touch  of  those  of  our  world.  This  is 
deception,  and  for  that  reason  practiced ;  but  that  bodies 
of  our  world  are  lifted  with  these  hands,  whatever  they 
are,  is  fact,  and  therefore  concealed.  The  gloves  are  not 
always  so  far  changed  that  they  would  be  visible  to  us 
in  the  light ;  but  those  of  the  other  world  cannot  always 
determine  how  far  they  will  be  changed,  and  therefore 


260  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

certain  phenomena  are  generally  performed  in  the  dark, 
or  under  a  table.  Now,  there  is  nothing  gained  by  this, 
it  is  simply  stupidity ;  for  if  the  gloves  were  made 
visible,  and  the  phenomena  occurred  in  the  light,  the 
number  of  believers  in  Spiritualism  would  certainly  be 
increased. 

But  the  stupidity  is  not  confined  to  those  of  the  other 
world ;  Spiritualists,  as  a  class,  so  far  as  relates  to  this 
subject,  are  about  as  stupid.  They,  or  a  large  proportion 
of  them,  have  seen  and  felt  these  so-called  hands ;  and 
those  who  have  not,  believe  that  they  can  be  produced. 
It  would  seem  that  any  person  of  ordinary  intelligence 
who  believes  that  these  hands  can  be  produced,  ought 
to  believe  that  bodies  of  our  world  can  be  moved  by 
them ;  but  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that,  so  far  as  my 
knowledge  extends,  not  a  single  Spiritualist  believes 
that  bodies  are  thus  moved.  The  cause  of  this  is  that 
the  "spirits"  give  other  explanations,  if  explanations 
they  can  be  called.  In  the  chapter  on  Spiritualism,  I 
have  given  the  explanations  of  Andrew  Jackson  Davis 
and  Prof.  Hare ;  all  that  I  have  heard  or  read  are  of  the 
same  character,  equally  silly  and  incoherent 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  I  will  notice  a  remarkable 
phenomenon  occurring  with  Mr.  Home,  the  only  well- 
authenticated  instance  of  the  kind  of  which  I  have  ever 
heard  or  read.  Mr.  Home,  as  is  stated,  is  frequently 
lifted  and  carried  about  his  room.  There  is  no  difficulty 
in  understanding  this ;  he  can  be  lifted  in  the  same  way 
that  a  table  is.  But  there  is  this  difference  in  the  two 
cases :  So  many  of  the  other  world  are,  or  can  become, 
en  rapport  with  Mr.  Home,  that  he  can  be  very  nearly 


EXPLANATIONS  OF   PHENOMENA.  261 

deprived,  for  a  short  time,  of  gravity.  It  is  the  elec- 
tricity with  which  a  body  is  permeated  that  determines 
its  gravity ;  and  those  of  the  other  world  can  so  per- 
meate the  body  of  Mr.  Home  with  their  electricity  that 
he  becomes  nearly  as  devoid  of  gravity  as  themselves. 

The  occurrence  to  which  I  refer  is  this :  I  have  seen 
an  apparently  well-authenticated  account  of  Mr.  Home 
having  been,  in  one  instance,  carried  out  of  the  house 
through  one  window,  and  brought  in  again  through  an 
adjoining  one.  Both  windows  were  open ;  but  as  they 
were  at  a  considerable  height  from  the  ground,  the 
reader  may  not  understand  how  this  could  be  done  if 
the  surface  of  the  other  world  is  coincident  with  that  of 
ours. 

In  considering  these  phenomena,  it  is  necessary  to 
bear  constantly  in  mind  what  pains — or  what  to  us  would 
be  such — these  creatures  are  willing  to  take  in  the 
execution  of  their  senseless  performances.  My  inform- 
ants aver  that,  in  this  instance,  they  constructed  a  plat- 
form on  the  outside  of  the  building,  on  a  level  with, 
and  supported  by,  the  floor  of  Mr.  Home's  room,  and 
extending  from  one  window  to  the  other,  upon  which, 
he  having  been  nearly  deprived  of  gravity,  Mr.  Home 
was  carried. 

That  extraordinary  preparations  must  have  been  made, 
is  evident  from  the  fact  that  such  a  phenomenon  is  very 
rare.  This  is  the  only  well -authenticated  account  I  have 
ever  seen  of  even  the  lightest  body  being  raised  more 
than  a  few  feet  from  a  surface  of  our  world.  But  if  the 
views  of  Spiritualists  as  to  the  "  spirit- world  "  are  correct, 
then  certainly,  if  the  "spirits"  can  lift  a  man  at  all, 
they  can  lift  a  lighter  body  to  any  height 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

REVIEW    OP     NARRATIVES     OF     SO-CALLED     SPIRITUAL 
MANIFESTATIONS  AND   COMMUNICATIONS. 

IN  the  fifth  chapter  I  have  endeavored  to  give  the 
reader  some  understanding  of  the  theories  held  by  Spir- 
itualists relative  to  the  phenomena  which  I  have  under- 
taken to  explain.  I  propose  in  this  chapter  to  examine 
a  variety  of  narratives  of  so-called  spiritual  manifesta- 
tions and  communications,  that  the  reader  may  judge 
for  himself  whether  the  theories  of  Spiritualists,  or 
those  which  I  have  propounded,  best  explain  the  phe- 
nomena. And  I  shall  devote  considerable  space  to  this 
purpose,  for  it  is  only  by  a  test  of  this  kind  that  the 
soundness  or  unsoundness  of  a  theory  can  be  ascer- 
tained. 

I  have  stated  that  there  is  no  such  faculty  as  clair- 
voyance. The  following,  taken  from  Wm.  Hewitt's 
"History  of  the  Supernatural,"  is  a  very  fair  example 
of  the  experiments  made  to  test  this  faculty ;  and  is 
given  by  Mr.  Howitt  as  indisputable  proof  of  its  exist- 
ence: 

"  A  doctor  of  Antwerp  was  allowed  at  a  stance  to  im- 
pose his  own  tests ;  the  object  of  the  stance  being  to  de- 
monstrate vision  by  abnormal  means.  He  said  before- 
hand, 'If  the  somnambulist  tells  me  what  is  in  my 
pocket,  I  will  believe.'  The  patient  having  entered 


KEVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES:  263 

into  somnambulism,  was  asked  by  him  the  question, 
'What  is  in  my  pocket?'  She  immediately  replied, 
'A  case  of  lancets.'  'It  is  true,'  said  the  doctor,  some- 
what startled ;  '  but  the  young  lady  may  know  that  I 
am  one  of  the  medical  profession,  and  that  I  am  likely 
to  carry  lancets,  and  this  may  be  a  guess ;  but  if  she 
will  tell  me  the  number  of  the  lancets  in  the  case  I  will 
believe.'  The  number  of  lancets  was  told.  The  skeptic 
still  said,  '  I  cannot  yet  believe  ;  but  if  the  form  of  the 
case  is  accurately  described,  I  must  yield  to  conviction.' 
The  form  of  the  case  was  accurately  described.  '  This 
certainly  is  very  singular,'  said  the  doctor,  '  very  indeed ; 
but  still  I  cannot  believe ;  but  if  the  young  lady  can  tell 
me  the  color  of  the  velvet  that  lines  the  case  that  con- 
tains the  lancets,  I  really  must  believe.'  The  question 
being  put,  the  young  lady  directly  said,  '  The  color  is 
dark  blue.'  The  doctor  allowed  that  she  was  right; 
yet  he  went  away  repeating,  '  Very  curious,  yet  still  I 
cannot  believe.'" 

Now,  mark  the  character  of  the  questions  and  an- 
swers. The  doctor  must  have  had  several  pockets  in 
his  clothes,  and  there  was  probably  something  in  each 
pocket ;  at  all  events,  it  is  not  probable  that  the  case  of 
lancets  was  all  that  they  contained.  Yet  instead  of  des- 
ignating a  particular  pocket,  he  simply  asked,  "  What 
is  in  my  pocket  ?  "  And  when  the  young  lady  replied, 
"  A  case  of  lancets,"  the  readiness  with  which  he  ac- 
cepted the  reply  as  an  answer  to  his  question,  shows 
that  his  mind  was  fixed  upon  that  particular  article. 
Again,  if  the  young  lady  had  not  read  his  mind,  when 
such  a  question  was  put,  she  would  naturally  have  in- 
quired which  pocket  was  meant  And  as  to  the  sue- 


264  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

ceeding  questions,  it  is  evident  the  doctor  had  the  cor- 
rect answers  in  his  mind,  from  the  fact  that  he  did  not 
examine  the  case  to  ascertain  their  correctness.  The 
anecdote  shows  that  one  mind  can  read  another ;  and, 
in  my  judgment,  that  is  all  that  it  does  show. 

Aside  from  this  one  anecdote,  there  is  nothing  in  the 
work  of  Mr.  Howitt  suitable  for  my  purpose.  The  best 
collection  of  narratives  that  I  have  seen,  is  contained  in 
a  work  by  Hon.  Eobert  Dale  Owen,  enti  led,  "  Footfalls 
on  the  Boundary  of  Another  "World."  *  I  will,  therefore, 
so  far  as  possible,  confine  myself  to  a  selection  of  nar- 
ratives from  this  work.  Aside  from  the  .convenience 
of  selecting  from  one  volume,  I  have  another  object  in 
doing  so,  namely,  to  enable  the  reader  who  may  be  suf- 
ficiently interested  in  the  subject  to  take  the  trouble, 
to  ascertain  whether  I  do,  or  do  not,  select  mainly  such 
narratives  as  most  favor  my  own  views.  As  the  work 
of  Mr.  Owen  has  had  an  extensive  circulation,  it  is  well 
adapted  for  this  purpose.  I  will  here  state  that  I  shall 
confine  my  examination  mainly  to  such  narratives  as 
are  considered  by  Mr.  Owen  to  confirm  theories  which  I 
have  stated  to  be  false ;  and  I  design  noticing  every 
narrative  of  this  kind  in  the  work ;  while  of  such  as  do 
not  seem  to  conflict  with  the  doctrines  I  have  pro- 
pounded I  shall  notice  a  few  only,  by  way  of  illustra- 
tion. 

It  will  be  readily  understood,  that  owing  to  the  extraor- 
dinary nature  of  the  phenomena  under  consideration, 
the  statements  given  by  individuals  witnessing  them  are 


•"Footfalls   on  the  Boundary  of  Another  World."    By  Robert 
Dale  Owen.     Philadelphia  :  J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.,  1865. 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES  265 

liable  to  great  exaggeration.  It  appears  to  be  absolutely 
impossible  for  a  large  class  of  individuals  to  state  occur- 
rences of  this  startling  character  precisely  as  they  took 
place;  and,  unfortunately,  a  large  proportion  of  the  nar- 
ratives bearing  upon  this  subject  are  given  by  persons 
of  this  class.  And  in  so  large  a  collection  of  narratives 
as  this  of  Mr.  Owen — numbering  about  sixty — it  is  to  be 
expected,  remembering  the  fondness  of  many  persons  for 
inventing  tales  of  the  supernatural,  that  some  will  be  en- 
tirely fictitious.  If,  therefore,  the  theories  which  I  have 
given  will  explain  a  large  majority  of  the  narratives,  it  is 
all  that  can  reasonably  be  expected.  And  if  it  shall  be 
found  that  they  explain  all  the  well-known  phenomena 
which  during  the  past  twenty  years  have  been  witnessed 
by  thousands  of  individuals  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic, 
while  the  narratives  which  conflict  with  these  theories 
are  of  occurrences  of  an  exceptional  nature,  and  of  doubt- 
ful authority,  then  the  correctness  of  the  theories  is 
established  as  far  as  is  possible  by  a  test  of  this  kind. 
Again,  as  the  phenomena  must  be  governed  by  c  rtain 
laws,  if  I  have  stated  correctly  the  laws  governing  a  large 
majority  of  the  cases  cited,  and  the  exceptional  occur- 
rences, stated  to  have  taken  place,  would  conflict  with 
these  laws,  it  is  a  logical  deduction  that  the  narrative 
must  be  wholly  false,  or  partially  incorrect 

The  narratives  in  Mr.  Owen's  work  are  classified  under 
the  following  heads : — Dreams  ;  Disturbances  popularly 
termed  Hauntings ;  Apparitions  of  the  Living ;  Appari- 
tions of  the  Dead;  Retribution;  and  Guardianship. 

First,  then,  as  to  dreams :  In  certain  stages  of  sleep 
the  mind  is  in  a  more  receptive,  or  impressible  condition 
than  when  the  individual  is  fully  awake,  and  his  mind, 


266  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

or  thinking  faculties,  in  active  exercise.  Hence,  inhabit 
ants  of  the  other  world,  who  are  unable  at  any  other 
time  to  do  so,  are  sometimes  able  to  communicate  im- 
pressions to  those  of  our  world  when  the  latter  are 
asleep,  or  partially  so.  Sometimes,  when  unable  to 
convey  ideas,  or  the  impression  of  words  being  spoken, 
it  is  possible  to  produce  an  impressional  apparition ;  and 
this  is  occasionally  done  to  convey  intelligence  of  the 
death  of  a  relative  or  friend  of  the  person  receiving  the 
impression ;  it  being,  of  course,  as  well  known  in  the 
other  world  as  in  ours,  that  most  persons,  on  seeing  an 
apparition,  conclude  that  the  individual  whose  "  spirit " 
is  supposed  to  be  seen,  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  other 
world.  These  impressional  apparitions,  conveying  in- 
telligence of  deaths,  have  occasionally  been  produced 
where  the  individual  never  before  or  afterward  experi- 
enced anything  of  the  kind ;  and  so  frequently  have 
they  occurred  immediately  after  the  death  of  the  person 
whose  likeness  is  seen,  that  it  is  believed  by  some  that 
individuals,  or  "  spirits,"  can  appear  to  us  immediately 
after  their  death,  but  not  at  any  considerable  length  of 
time  afterward.  I  have  myself  heard  this  opinion  ex- 
pressed ;  and  Mr.  Owen  states  that  a  society  was  formed 
in  the  year  1851  by  members  of  Cambridge  University, 
England,  "  for  the  purpose  of  instituting,  as  their  printed 
circular*  expresses  it,  'a  serious  and  earnest  inquiry 
into  the  nature  of  the  phenomena,  which  are  vaguely 
called  supernatural' "  And  in  a  note,  Mr.  Owen  states 
that  the  son  of  a  British  peer,  who  was  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  society,  informed  him  "that  the  re- 

•  Published  in  an  appendix  to  Mr.  Owen's  work. 


REVIEW  OF  NARBATIVES.  267 

searches  of  the  society  had  resulted  in  a  conviction, 
shared,  he  believed,  by  all  its  members,  that  there  is 
sufficient  testimony  for  the  appearance,  about  the  time 
of  death  or  after  it,  of  the  apparitions  of  deceased  per- 
sons ;  while  in  regard  to  other  classes  of  apparitions,  the 
evidence,  so  far  as  obtained,  was  deemed  too  slight  to 
prove  their  reality." 

Yet  nothing  is  really  seen  in  such  a  case ;  nor  is  the 
apparition,  or  hallucination,  produced  by  the  individual 
deceased,  but  by  some  friend  or  relative  in  the  invisible 
world.  And,  compared  with  the  number  of  deaths, 
these  apparitions  are  very  rare  for  several  reasons :  first, 
it  is  only  occasionally  that  a  friend  of  the  deceased  per- 
son is  able  to  produce  the  apparition ;  second,  the  death 
of  the  individual  is  not  always  known,  at  the  time,  by 
his  friends  in  the  other  world;  and  third,  there  is  usually 
no  reason  for  attempting  to  make  the  death  known  in 
this  way. 

The  principal  difference  between  the  views  of  Mr. 
Owen  and  myself  in  reference  to  dreams  produced  by 
those  of  the  other  world  is,  that  he  thinks  some  dreams 
indicate  the  faculty  of  prevision,  others  that  of  clairvoy- 
ance, and  still  others  a  faculty  which  I  hardly  know 
how  to  designate  otherwise  than  as  omniscience  ;  while 
I  contend  that  no  such  faculty  as  either  of  these  is  pos- 
sessed by  an  inhabitant  of  either  world, 

I  consider  it  unnecessary  to  notice  dreams  of  a  very 
common  class,  evidently  produced  by  natural  appre- 
hension ;  such,  for  example,  as  that  a  ship  in  which  a 
friend  has  sailed,  or  is  about  to  sail,  is  lost  As  dreams 
of  this  kind,  caused  by  natural  apprehension,  are  fre- 
quent, it  is  not  strange  that  occasionally  one  is  fulfilled. 


268  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

If  I  understand  Mr.  Owen,  he  does  not  claim  that  such 
occasional  coincidences  prove  the  existence  of  the  fac- 
ult^  of  prevision.  In  dreams  of  this  class  those  of  the 
other  world  have  usually  no  agency. 

I  also  consider  it  unnecessary  to  notice  dreams  indi- 
cating the  approaching  death  of  a  relative  or  friend,  and 
which  are  fulfilled,  where  the  death  occurs  from  natural 
causes.  I  agree  with  Mr.  Owen,  that  such  dreams  are 
frequently  produced  by  those  of  the  other  world ;  but 
deny  that  the  dream  indicates  the  faculty  of  prevision. 
A  man  may  be  in  apparent  health,  and  yet  those  of  the 
other  world  may  perceive  a  change  taking  place  in  his 
system  which  indicates  that  he  will  soon  die;  this  is  not 
what  is  meant  by  prevision.  And  those  of  the  other 
world  are  not  infallible  in  this  respect ;  but  when  the 
death  does  not  occur  in  accordance  with  the  dream,  the 
latter  is  not  often  narrated,  and  is  supposed  to  have 
originated  from  natural  causes. 

"  The  Visit  Foretold." 

This  narrative  is  taken  by  Mr.  Owen  from  a  work  on 
Sleep  by  Macario.  I  will  give  the  substance : 

Madame  Macario  and  daughter  went  to  the  Bourbon 
baths.  A  cousin  of  Madame  Macario,  residing  at  Mou- 
lins — which,  it  appears,  was  the  point  at  which  they 
left  the  railway  and  took  the  diligence  for  the  baths — 
dreamed,  on  the  night  before  they  started,  that  he  saw 
them  take  the  railway  cars  for  the  baths,  and  in  the 
morning  told  his  wife  to  prepare  to  receive  them,  as 
they  would  pay  them  a  visit. 

As  it  was  raining  when  Madame  Macario  and  daugh- 
ter arrived  at  Moulins,  and  the  cousin  lived  in  a  distant 


REVIEW  -  OF  NARRATIVES.  269 

quarter  of  the  town,  they  did  not  visit  him — as  I  infer 
they  intended — but  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  friend 
near  the  railway  station. 

The  dream,  then,  was  accurate  as  to  what  was  intended, 
but  not  as  to  what  actually  occurred.  The  power  of 
those  of  the  other  world  to  produce  dreams  does  not 
differ,  except  in  degree,  from  that  of  individuals  of  our 
world.  And,  like  common  electricity,  vital  electricity, 
which  causes  the  dream,  will  travel  to  any  distance 
provided  the  conditions  for  transmission  are  sufficiently 
favorable. 

I  presume  that  this  dream  was  produced  either  by 
Madame  Macario  or  her  daughter,  probably  by  the  for- 
mer. In  the  night  she  thought,  or  dreamed  of  the  in- 
tended journey,  and  of  a  visit  to  the  cousin.  This  pro- 
duced a  corresponding  impression  on  the  mind  of  the 
latter,  who,  it  is  stated,  "  habitually  dreams  of  anything 
extraordinary  that  is  to  happen  to  him."  Stripped  of 
exaggeration,  this  simply  implies  that  when  asleep  he 
was  very  impressible.  If  he  had  -possessed  the  "fac- 
ulty of  foresight,  or  prophetic  instinct,"  as  Mr.  Owen 
terms  it,  he  would  have  dreamed  what  actually  oc- 
curred. 

"  The  Indian  Mutiny." 

Mr.  Owen  says  that  in  this  dream,  "  a  highly  improb- 
able event  was  foreshadowed  with  distinctness  a  year 
before  it  occurred." 

"  Mrs.  Torrens,  the  widow  of  General  Torrens,  now 
residing  at  South  Sea,  near  Portsmouth,  about  a  year 
previous  to  the  Indian  mutiny  dreamed  that  she  saw 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Hayes,  and  that  daughter's  husband, 


270  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

Captain  Hayes,  attacked  by  sepoys ;  and  a  frightful, 
murderous  struggle  ensued,  in  which  Captain  Hayes 
was  killed." 

Captain  Hayes  and  his  wife  were  at  Lucknow  during 
the  siege  of  that  place,  where  the  former  was  captured 
by  the  sepoys  and  killed.  It  does  not  appear  that  his 
wife  was  attacked  or  molested  in  any  way,  except  that 
she  shared  in  the  privations  of  the  siege. 

This  dream  is  called  a  distinct  foreshadowing  of  the 
great  Indian  mutiny.  I  venture  to  say  that  if  the  nar- 
rative was  not  headed  "The  Indian  Mutiny,"  most 
readers  would  see  no  intimation  of  that  event  in  the 
dream.  Mrs.  Torrens  dreamed  simply  that  her  daughter 
and  son-in-law  were  attacked  by  a  party  of  sepoys ;  this 
has  no  resemblance  to  the  siege  of  a  city  by  an  army. 
The  dream  was  caused  by  natural  apprehension,  and  is 
of  the  same  class  as  where  one  dreams  that  a  vessel  in 
which  a  friend  has  sailed  is  lost.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
similar  dreams  occur  frequently  to  persons  in  England 
having  relatives  in  India.  But  if  one  or  a  dozen  in- 
dividuals in  England  had,  before  the  event  occurred, 
dreamed  of  a  general  mutiny  in  India,  the  fact  would 
be  no  proof  of  prophetic  instinct,  or  prevision ;  because 
more  or  less  apprehension  of  such  an  occurrence  has 
always  existed. 

"  The  Negro- Servant." 

"  A  lady  dreamed  that  an  aged  female  relative  had 
been  murdered  by  a  black  servant;  and  the  dream 
occurred  more  than  once.  She  was  then  so  much  im- 
pressed by  it  that  she  went  to  the  house  of  the  lady  to 
whom  it  related,  and  prevailed  upon  a  gentleman  to 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  271 

watch  in  an  adjoining  room  during  the  following  night 
About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  gentleman  hear- 
ing footsteps  on  the  stairs,  left  his  place  of  concealment, 
and  met  the  servant  carrying  up  a  quantity  of  coals. 
Being  questioned  as  to  where  he  was  going,  he  replied, 
in  a  confused  and  hurried  manner,  that  he  was  going  to 
mend  his  mistress's  fire,  which  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  in  the  middle  of  summer,  was  evidently  im- 
possible; and  on  further  investigation,  a  strong  knife 
was  found  concealed  beneath  the  coals." 

This  narrative  is  taken  from  Abercrombie's  "Intel- 
lectual Powers,"  and  its  accuracy  is  vouched  for  by  him. 
Mr.  Owen,  when  in  Edinburgh,  where  the  occurrences 
took  place,  in  1858,  obtained  an  additional  voucher, 
with  the  names  of  the  parties — which  he  gives — and  the 
following  additional  facts,  namely,  that  the  dreamer  did 
not  know,  until  she  went  to  her  relative's  house  after 
the  dream,  that  the  latter  had  a  black  servant,  he  having 
been  engaged  but  a  short  time  previous  ;  and  that  the 
servant  was  afterward  hung  for  murder,  and  confessed 
before  his  execution  that  he  had  intended  to  assassinate 
the  lady. 

The  vouchers  for  this  remarkable  dream  appear  to  be 
as  perfect  as  it  is  possible  to  produce ;  and  it  would  be 
unphilosophical  to  consider  the  dream  a  natural  one, 
when  the  dreamer  did  not  know  that  her  relative  had  a 
black  servant  I  assume,  then,  that  this  dream  was  pro- 
duced by  some  relative  or  friend  of  the  lady,  in  the 
other  world,  who  occasionally  visited  her,  or  possibly, 
as  she  was  aged,  remained  most  of  the  time  with  her ; 
and  who  perceived,  being  able  to  read  his  mind,  that  the 
servant  designed  murdering  her ;  for  it  is  a  reasonable 


272  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

supposition  that  the  servant  had  contemplated  the  mur- 
der for  h  ome  time  previous  to  the  night  of  the  discovery. 
This  would  not  indicate  that  the  one  of  the  other  world 
had  the  faculty  of  prevision,  or  the  power  of  seeing  in  to 
futurity ;  but  merely  the  power  of  ascertaining  a  de- 
termination already  formed. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  "  the  dream  occurred  more  than 
once."  This  is  not  usual  in  the  case  of  a  natural  dream ; 
but  I  can  testify  from  my  own  experience,  that  it  is  a 
common  occurrence  when  the  dream  is  produced  by  one 
of  the  other  world.  One  of  the  annoyances  which  I  ex- 
perienced was  unpleasant,  and  sometimes  distressing 
dreams  produced  by  Miss  McCauley ;  and  when  I  awoke 
from  such  a  dream,  it  was  necessary  thoroughly  to  rouse 
myself,  and  fix  my  mind  upon  something  else,  or  it 
would  be  repeated  when  I  again  fell  asleep. 

Mr.  Owen  says :  "  It  is  true  that,  with  that  inexplicable 
dimness  of  vision  which  seems  so  often  to  characterize 
similar  phenomena,  the  coming  event  is  indicated  only, 
not  distinctly  foretold.  The  daughter's  dream  was  that 
her  mother  had  been  murdered  ;  and  this  had  not  taken 
place." 

I  see  nothing  inexplicable  in  the  matter.  The  one 
of  the  other  world  was  able  merely  to  produce  a  dream, 
not  to  communicate  a  message ;  and  having  in  his  (or 
her)  mind  the  images  of  the  negro  servant  and  the  aged 
lady,  with  the  fact  that  the  former  designed  murdering 
the  latter,  the  dream  produced  would  naturally  be 
such  as  occurred.  If  a  person  should,  in  any  way,  get 
the  impression  when  awake  that  a  certain  individual  in- 
tended to  kill  a  certain  other  individual,  and  this  im- 
pression caused  him  to  dream  of  the  subject,  the  dream 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVE&  273 

would  probably  be  that  the  event  had  occurred,  or  that 
he  witnessed  it  We  rarely  dream  that  an  event  is  to 
occur  in  the  future. 

"Bell  and  Slephenson." 

"  In  the  year  1768  my  father,  Matthew  Talbot,  of 
Castle  Talbot,  county  Wexford,  was  much  surprised  at 
the  recurrence  of  a  dream  three  several  times  during  the 
same  night,  which  caused  him  to  repeat  the  whole  cir- 
cumstance to  his  lady  the  next  morning.  He  dreamed 
that  he  had"arisen  as  usual,  and  descended  to  his  li- 
brary, the  morning  being  hazy.  He  then  seated  him- 
self at  his  secretaire  to  write ;  when,  happening  to  look 
up  a  lctag  avenue  of  trees  opposite  the  window,  he  per- 
ceived a  man  in  a  blue  jacket,  mounted  on  a  white  horse, 
coming  toward  the  house.  My  father  arose  and^pened 
the  window :  the  man,  advancing,  presented  him  with 
a  roll  of  papers,  and  told  him  they  were  invoices  of  a 
vessel  that  had  been  wrecked  and  had  drifted  in  during 
the  night  on  his  son-in-law's  (Lord  Mount  Morns') 
estate,  hard  by,  and  signed  '•Bell  and  Stephenson.' 

"  My  father's  attention  was  called  to  the  dream  only 
from  its  frequent  recurrence  ;  but  when  he  found  him- 
self* seated  at  his  desk  on  the  misty  morning,  and  be- 
held the  identical  person  whom  he  had  seen  in  his 
dream,  in  the  blue  coat,  riding  on  a  gray  horse,  he  felt 
surprised,  and,  opening  .the  window,  waited  the  man's 
approach.  He  immediately  rode  up,  and  drawing  from 
his  pocket  a  packet  of  papers,  gave  them  to  my  father, 
stating  that  they  were  invoices  belonging  to  an  Ameri- 
can vessel  which  had  been  wrecked  and  drifted  upon 
bis  lordship's  estate ;  that  there  was  no  person  on  board 


274  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

to  lay  claim  to  the  wreck  ;  but  that  the  invoices  were 
signed  '  Stcphenson  and  BelV 

"  I  assure  you,  my  dear  sir,  that  the  above  actually 
occurred,  and  is  most  faithfully  given ;  but  it  is  not 
more  extraordinary  than  other  examples  of  the  pro- 
phetic powers  of  the  mind  or  soul  during  sleep,  which 
I  have  frequently  heard  related. 

"  Yours,  most  faithfully, 
"  WILLIAM  TALBOT. 

"Alton  Towers,  October  23,  1842." 

This  narrative  is  taken  -from  a  work  by  Edward 
Binns,  M.D.,  entitled  "  The  Anatomy  of  Sleep."  It  is 
the  only  narrative  in  the  chapter  on  dreams  which 
clearly  indicates  the  prophetic  faculty ;  and  I  admit 
that  this,  assuming  it  to  be  true,  can  only  be  explained 
upon  such  an  hypothesis.  The  only  point  for  examin- 
ation, then,  is  the  authority  for  the  narrative ;  and  as 
what  is  alleged  to  have  occurred  is  of  an  exceptional 
and  extraordinary  character,  the  authority  should  be 
proportionally  strong  to  warrant  belief.  On  this  point 
the  last  paragraph  of  the  communication  has  an  impor- 
tant bearing,  as  it  evinces  excessive  credulity  in  the  nar- 
rator. Probably  most  persons  "  have  frequently  heard 
related"  stories  as  extraordinary  as  the  foregoing  ;  Jaut 
no  person  of  sound  judgment  believes  that  he  has  fre- 
quently heard  such  that  were  true.  Another  thing ;  the 
narrative  is  given  seventy-four  years  after  the  period  at 
which  the  events  are  stated  to  have  occurred,  and  yet 
we  are  not  informed  how  or  when  Mr.  Talbot  heard  the 
story.  When  a  man  is  called  upon  to  testify  in  a  court 
of  justice,  he  is  required  to  state  not  only  what  he  knows, 
but,  also,  how  he  knows ;  and  the  latter  is  especi  ally 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  275 

important  when  seventy-four  years  have  elapsed  be- 
tween the  occurrence  and  the  testimony.  We  have 
then  solely,  as  authority  for  this  narrative,  the  belief 
of  a  man  who  thinks  such  occurrences  not  uncommon, 
that  the  events  described  did  occur  seventy -four  years 
previous  to  the  time  when  he  gave  the  statement 
Hardly  sufficient,  I  think,  to  establish  the  existence  of 
prophetic  powers. 

In  reference  to  one  point  Mr.  Owen  says  : — "  In  the 
above  we  find  the  same  strange  element  of  slight  inac- 
curacy mixed  with  marvelous  coincidence  of  detail  al- 
ready several  times  noticed.  The  man  with  his  blue 
coat ;  the  white  or  gray  horse  ;  the  vessel  wrecked  on 
Lord  Mount  Morris'  estate ;  the  roll  of  invoices  pre- 
sented— all  exhibit  complete  correspondence  between 
the  foreshadowing  dream  and  the  actual  occurrences. 
The  names  on  the  invoices,  too,  correspond ;  but  the 
order  in  which  they  stand  is  reversed :  in  the  dream, 
1  Bell  and  Stephenson ; '  on  the  invoices  themselves, 
1  Stephenson  and  Bell.' " 

I  have  no  doubt  that  the  narrator  intended  to  make 
the  coincidences  appear  complete,  and  that  the  above 
discrepancy  is  his  ^  and  it  is  not  the  only  one.  In  the 
dream  it  appears  that  the  vessel  had  drifted  upon  the 
estate  of  Matthew  Talbot's  son-in-law ;  but  in  the  sec- 
ond paragraph,  the  man  who  brought  the  invoices  is 
represented  as  stating,  as  I  understand  the  sentence, 
that  it  had  drifted  upon  the  estate  of  Matthew  Talbot 
Trifling  matters  of  this  kind  deserve  notice  when  we 
are  examining  a  narrative  of  alleged  supernatural  occur- 
rences ;  for  the  slightest  inaccuracy  may  make  wholly 


276  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

inexplicable  occurrences  which,  if  the  account  was  cor- 
rectly given,  could  be  easily  understood. 

I  have  stated  that  this  narrative  of  Mr.  Talbot  is  the 
only  one  in  the  chapter  on  dreams  which,  if  true,  would 
indicate  prevision.  This  is  true ;  but  I  find  that,  in  a 
subsequent  chapter,  Mr.  Owen,  in  noticing  the  disturb- 
ances in  the  Fox  family — called  "  knockings"— at 
Hydesville,  N.  Y.,  states,  that  several  of  the  ancestors 
and  connections  of  this  family  possessed  the  power  of, 
what  he  here  calls,  "  second-sight ;  "  and  he  gives  one 
storj-  of  a  drearn,  which,  if  correct,  would  support  the 
assertion.  But,  as  he  gives  no  authority  for  the  anec- 
dote, and  has  not,  as  I  infer,  thought  the  vouchers  suf- 
ficient to  authorize  it  being  placed  in  the  proper  chap- 
ter, it  is  unnecessary  to  notice  it ;  and  I  will  pass  to  the 
examination  of  narratives  which  Mr.  Owen  thinks  indi- 
cate "farsight  or  natural  clairvoyance." 

The  following  is  taken  from  Abercrombie's  work  : — 
u  A  lady  in  Edinburgh  had  sent  her  watch  to  be  re- 
paired. A  long  time  elapsed  without  her  being  able  to 
recover  it ;  and,  after  many  excuses,  she  began  to  sus- 
pect that  something  •  was  wrong.  She  now  dreamed 
that  the  watchmaker's  boy,  by  whom  the  watch  was 
sent,  had  dropped  it  in  the  street,  and  had  injured  it  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  could  not  be  repaired.  She  went 
to  the  master,  and,  without  any  allusion  to  her  dream, 
put  the  question  to  him  directly,  when  he  confessed  that 
it  was  true." 

Upon  which  Mr.  Owen  comments  as  follows  : — "  In 
this  case  nothing  can  be  more  ridiculous  than  to  imag- 
ine that  there  was  miraculous  intervention  for  the  pur- 
pose of  informing  a  lady  why  her  watch  was  detained 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  277 

at  the  maker's;  yet  how  extreme  the  improbability, 
also,  that,  among  the  ten  thousand  possible  causes  of 
that  detention,  chance  should  indicate  to  her,  in  a  dream, 
the  very  one,  though  apparently  among  the  most  far- 
fetched and  unlikely,  that  was  found  exactly  to  coincide 
with  the  fact  as  it  occurred ! 

"  The  attempt  is  futile  to  explain  away  even  such  a 
simple  narrative  as  the  foregoing,  unless  we  impeach 
the  good  faith  of  the  narrator ;  imagining,  let  us  sup- 
pose, that  he  has  willfully  concealed  some  essential  at- 
tendant circumstance,  as,  for  instance,  that  the  lady 
whose  watch  was  injured  had  reason,  from  information 
obtained,  to  surmise  that  the  boy  might  have  dropped 
it.  But,  when  Abercrombie  vouches  for  the  narrative 
as  authentic,  his  voucher  excludes,  of  course,  supposi- 
tions which  would  deprive  the  anecdote  of  all  value 
whatever  in  the  connection  in  which  he  publishes  it" 

Mr.  Owen  seems  to  admit,  that  if  the  lady  had  reason 
to  surmise  that  the  boy  might  have  dropped  the  watch, 
the  dream  was  a  natural  one,  and  does  not  substantiate 
the  faculty  of  farsight,  or  natural  clairvoyance.  But, 
as  will,  I  presume,  be  admitted,  if  the  lady  surmised  the 
same  without  any  particular  reason,  the  dream  would 
be  equally  natural.  The  question  then  is,  as  to  the 
probability  of  the  lady  having  felt  apprehension  that 
the  boy  had  dropped  the  watch. 

Now,  under  the  circumstances  stated,  is  this  accident, 
"  apparently  among  the  most  far-fetched  and  unlikely," 
of  "  ten  thousand  possible  causes  "  of  the  detention  ? 
Omitting  the  thousands,  can  the  reader  think  of  ten 
probable  causes?  But,  the  inquiry  in  this  case,  as  to 
what  causes  would  probably  occur  to  the  lady,  is  much 


278  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

narrowed  from  the  fact  stated,  that  "  she  began  to  sus- 
pect that  something  was  wrong."  What  would  she  be 
likely  to  suspect  this  "  something  "  to  be  ?  It  appears 
to  me  that  her  suspicion  would  naturally  be  one  of  these 
two :  namely,  that  the  watchmaker  had  sold  or  pawned 
the  watch ;  or,  that  it  had  been  so  injured,  either  by 
himself  or  some  one  in  his  employ,  that  it  could  not 
readily  be  repaired.  I  can,  at  this  moment,  think  of  no 
other  suspicion  that  appears  at  all  likely  to  have  oc- 
curred ;  and,  in  fact,  I  think  we  may  assume  the  first 
to  be  rather  improbable.  That  the  watchmaker  was  so 
crowded  with  business  that  he  neglected  this  watch, 
would  not  be  what  is  meant  by  "something  wrong." 

Now,  that  the  boy  would  drop  the  watch,  was,  when 
he  took  it,  an  improbable  event ;  that  he  had  dropped 
it,  was,  at  the  time  the  lady's  suspicions  were  excited, 
much  less  improbable.  The  question,  however,  is  not 
as  to  the  chances  for  or  against  the  watch  having  been 
dropped,  but  as  to  the  probability  of  the  lady  being  ap- 
prehensive that  the  boy  had  dropped  it  I  venture  to 
say,  that  nine  out  of  ten  ladies,  sending  their  watches 
by  a  boy,  would  feel  a  little  (in  some  cases  almost  un- 
conscious) apprehension  that  he  might  drop  it.  I  am 
frequently  conscious  of  this  feeling  in  myself,  even  when 
handing  a  watch,  or  any  delicate  instrument,  to  a  gentle- 
man for  examination.  It  appears  to  me,  therefore,  that 
there  is  nothing  unreasonable  in  the  supposition  that 
this  dream  occurred  from  natural  apprehension. 

If  the  reader  thinks  this  explanation  unsatisfactory, 
let  him  consider  the  possibility  of  the  lady  seeing,  by 
clairvoyance,  the  boy  drop  the  watch,  not  at  the  time 
of  the  occurrence,  but  a  long  time  afterward.  I  cam 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  279 

imagine  that  there  might  be  such  a  faculty  a3  clairvoy- 
ance (clear-seeing) ;  and  if  the  lady,  in  her  dream,  had 
seen  the  watch,  in  the  watchmaker's  shop,  broken,  that 
would  be  an  instance  of  what  is  meant  by  the  word ; 
but  I  cannot  even  imagine  a  faculty  by  which  she  could 
see  occur  an  event  not  taking  place  at  the  time. 

I  shall  not  review  any  more  of  this  class  of  narra- 
tives, which  I  think  can  be  explained  without  resorting 
to  the  hypothesis  of  clairvoyance,  but  will  next  notice 
those  which  I  think  cannot  There  are  two  such  in  the 
chapter,  both  given  by  sailors — very  doubtful  authority 
in  such  matters.  The  first  is  taken  from  a  work  of 
which  I  never  before  heard,  entitled,  "  Early  Years  and 
Late  ^Reflections,"  by  0.  Carlyon,  M.D. 

"  The  Murder  near  Wadebridge." 

"  On  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  February,  1840,  Mr. 
Nevell  Norway,  a  Cornish  gentleman,  was  cruelly  mur- 
dered by  two  brothers  of  the  name  of  Lightfoot,  on  his 
way  from  Bodium  to  Wadebridge,  the  place  of  his  resi- 
dence. At  that  time,  his  brother,  Mr.  Edmund  Norway, 
was  in  the  command  of  a  merchant  vessel,  the  '  Orient,' 
on  her  voyage  from  Manilla  to  Cadiz ;  and  the  follow- 
ing is  his  own  account  of  a  dream  which  he  had  on  the 
night  when  his  brother  was  murdered : — 

"  '  About  7.30  P.M.  the  island  of  St  Helena  N.N.  W. 
distant  about  seven  miles ;  shortened  sail  and  rounded 
to  with  the  ship's  head  to  to  the  eastward ;  at  night,  set 
the  watch  and  went  below  ;  wrote  a  letter  to  my  brother, 
Nevell  Norway.  About  twenty  minutes  or  a  quarter 
before  ten  o'clock,  went  to  bed ;  fell  asleep,  and  dreamt 
I  saw  two  men  attack  my  brother  and  murder  him. 


280  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

One  caught  the  horse  by  the  "bridle,  and  snapped  a  pis- 
tol twice,  but  I  heard  no  report ;  he  then  struck  him  a 
blow,  and  he  fell  off  the  horse.  They  struck  him  sev- 
eral blows,  and  dragged  him  by  the  shoulders  across 
the  road  and  left  him.  In  my  dream,  there  was  a  house 
on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road.  At  four  o'clock  I  was 
called,  and  went  on  deck  to  take  charge  of  the  ship.  I 
told  the  second  officer,  Mr.  Henry  Wren,  that  I  had  had 
a  dreadful  dream — namely,  that  my  brother  Nevell  was 
murdered  by  two  men  on  the  road  from  St.  Columb  to 
"Wadebridge,  but  that  I  felt  sure  it  could  not  be  there, 
as  the  house  there  would  have  been  on  the  right-hand 
side  of  the  road ;  so  that  it  must  have  been  somewhere 
else.  He  replied,  "Don't  think  anything  about  it; 
you  west-country  people  are  so  superstitious !  You 
will  make  yourself  miserable  the  remainder  of  the 
voyage."  He  then  left  the  general  orders  and  went  be- 
low. It  was  one  continued  dream  from  the  time  I  fell 
asleep  until  I  was  called  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.'  " 
The  difficulty  with  this  dream  is,  that  it  is  too  minutely 
accurate.  It  agrees  with  the  facts,  as  stated,  in  every 
particular,  even  the  snapping  twice  of  a  pistol  occurred 
just  as  represented  in  the  dream.  I  confess  my  inabil- 
ity to  explain  such  perfect  coincidence  in  minute  partic- 
ulars. As  the  Captain  had  been  writing  to  his  brother 
before  going  to  bed,  it  would  be  no  remarkable  coinci- 
dence if  he  happened  to  dream  of  him  the  same  night  ; 
and  under  such  circumstances — the  Captain  thinking 
of  his  brother — if  the  latter,  at  the  time  he  was  being 
murdered,  happened  to  think  of  the  former,  some  im- 
pression of  the  murder  might  be  produced  on  the  mind 
of  the  Captain.  The  dream,  however,  could  not  be  as 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  281 

minutely  accurate  as  represented.  In  fact,  two  wit- 
nesses, who  were  on  the  spot  and  saw  the  murder,  would 
not  be  likely  to  coincide  so  minutely  in  their  statements. 
It  is  quite  probable  that  the  Captain  on  that  night 
dreamed  of  his  brother,  but  the  accuracy  of  the  narra- 
tive I  must  doubt. 

Mr.  Owen  says :  "  The  precise  correspondence  between 
the  dream  and  the  actual  occurrences  is  not  left  to  be 
proved  by  recollections  called  up  weeks  or  months  af- 
ter the  dream ;  for  the  evidence  is  an  extract  taken  ver- 
batim from  the  ship's  log — the  record  of  the  moment, 
when  everything  was  fresh  on  the  memory." 

If  this  was  time,  the  evidence  would  be  unquestionable ; 
if  the  Captain  asserted  that  the  narrative  was  an  extract 
from  the  ship's  log,  without  producing  the  log,  the  as- 
sertion woulct  be  sufficient  to  prove  the  story  a  fiction  ; 
for  it  is  not  customary  to  enter  dreams  in  the  ship's  log. 
But  neither  Dr.  Carl  yon  or  the  Captain  pretend  that  the 
narrative  is  taken  from  the  ship's  log.  Mr.  Owen  ap- 
pears to  have  so  inferred  from  the  fact  that  it  is  dated 
"  Ship  Orient,  from  Manilla  to  Cadiz,  February  8,  1840." 
We  have,  solely,  so  far  as  appears  from  Mr.  Owen's  ex- 
tracts, the  narrative  of  a  sailor,  given  after  he  had  learned 
the  facts  of  the  murder. 

"  The  Two  Field-Mice." 

"  On  the  night  of  flie  17th  of  February,  1836,  Cap- 
tain Clarke,  then  on  board  of  the  schooner  referred  to,* 
had  a  dream  of  so  vivid  a  character  that  it  produced  a 

*  A  schooner  frozen  up  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  It  is  stated  that 
Captain  Clarke  had  not  heard  of  the  illness  of  his  grandmother,  who 
resided  p.t  Lyme-Regis,  England. 


282  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

great  impression  upon  him.  He  dreamed  that,  being 
at  Lyme-Regis,  he  saw  pass  before  him  the  funeral  of 
his  grandmother.  He  took  note  of  the  chief  persons  who 
composed  the  procession,  observed  who  were  the  pall- 
bearers, who  were  the  mourners,  and  in  what  order  they 
walked,  and  distinguished  who  was  the  officiating  pas- 
tor. He  joined  the  procession  as  it.  approached  the 
churchyard  gate,  and  proceeded  with  it  to  the  grave. 
He  thought  (in  his  dream)  that  the  weather  was  stormy, 
and  the  ground  wet,  as  after  a  heavy  rain ;  and  he  no- 
ticed that  the  wind,  being  high,  blew  the  pall  partly  off 
the  coffin.  The  graveyard  which  they  entered,  the  old 
Protestant  one,  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  was  the  same 
in  which,  as  Captain  Clarke  knew,  their  family  burying 
place  was.  He  perfectly  remembered  its  situation ;  but, 
to  his  surprise,  the  funeral  procession  did  not  proceed 
thither,  but  to  another  part  of  the  churchyard,  at  some 
distance.  There  (still  in  his  dream)  he  saw  the  open 
grave,  partially  filled  with  water,  as  from  the  rain  ;  and, 
looking  into  it,  he  particularly  noticed  floating  in  the 
water  two  drowned  field-mica  Afterward,  as  he 
thought,  he  conversed  with  his  mother ;  and  she  told 
him  that  the  morning  had  been  so  tempestuous  that  the 
funeral,  originally  appointed  for  ten  o'clock,  had  been 
deferred  till  four.  He  remarked,  in  reply,  that  it  was 
a  fortunate  circumstance;  for,  as  he  had  just  arrived  in 
time  to  join  the  procession,  had  the  funeral  taken  place 
in  the  forenoon  he  could  not  have  attended  it  at  all. 

"  This  dream  made  so  deep  an  impression  on  Captain 
Clarke  that  in  the  morning  he  noted  the  date  of  it 
Some  time  afterward  there  came  the  news  of  his  grand- 
mother's death,  with  the  additional  particular  that  she 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  283 

was  buried  on  the  same  day  on  which  he,  being  in 
North  America,  had  dreamed  of  her  funeral. 

"  When,  four  years  afterward,  Captain  Clarke  visited 
Lyme-Regis,  he  found  that  every  particular  of  his  dream 
minutely  corresponded  with  the  reality.  The  pastor, 
the  pall-bearers,  the  mourners,  were  the  same  persons 
he  had  seen.  Yet  this,  we  may  suppose,  he  might  nat- 
urally have  anticipated.  But  the  funeral  had  been  ap- 
pointed for  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  temptestuous  weather  and  the  heavy  rain 
that  was  falling,  it  had  been  delayed  until  four  in  the 
afternoon.  His  mother,  who  attended  the  funeral,  dis- 
tinctly recollected  that  the  high  wind  blew  the  pall 
partially  off  the  coffin.  In  consequence  of  a  wish  ex- 
pressed by  the  old  lady  shortly  before  her  death,  she 
was  buried,  not  in  the  burying-place  of  the  family,  but 
at  another  spot,  selected  by  herself;  and  to  this  spot 
Captain  Clarke,  without  any  indication  from  the  fam- 
ily or  otherwise,  proceeded  at  once,  as  directly  as  if  he 
had  been  present  at  the  burial.  Finally,  on  comparing 
notes  with  the  old  sexton,  it  appeared  that  the  heavy 
rain  of  the  morning  had  partially  filled  the  grave,  and 
that  there  were  actually  found  in  it  two  field-mice, 
drowned.  This  last  incident,  even  if  there  were  no 
other,  might  suffice  to  preclude  all  idea  of  accidental 
coincidence." 

This  narrative  was  given  Mr.  Owen  by  Captain  Clarke, 
on  board  his  schooner,  lying  at  the  New  York  docks, 
in  July,  1859. 

The  objection  to  this  narrative  is  the  same  as  that 
applied  to  Captain  Norway's,  namely,  that  it  is  too  mi- 
nutely accurate.  No  one  person  present  at  the  funeral 


284  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

would  have  noticed,  and  recollected,  all  the  particulars 
named.  Again,  there  is  precisely  the  same  difficulty  in 
considering  it  a  case  of  "  far-sight,"  as  in  the  dream  of 
the  lady  about  her  broken  watch.  The  dream  is  said 
to  have  occurred  in  the  night,  while  the  funeral  took 
place,  in  England,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon — cor- 
responding to  an  earlier  hour  at  the  spot  where  Captain 
Clarke  was ;  and,  if  the  story  is  true,  he  saw,  by  "  far- 
sight,!' what  was  not  taking  place  at  the  time.  I  can 
only  say  that  I  do  not  believe  the  narrative.  I  shall 
have  occasion  hereafter  to  notice  a  far  more  wonderful 
and  inexplicable  story,  told  by  this  Captain  Clarke  ;  and 
if  the  reader  is  satisfied  that  it  is  wholly  or  mainly  an 
invention  of  the  Captain,  he  should  conclude  that  the 
foregoing  narrative  is  not  entitled  to  belief. 

Mr.  Owen  believes,  in  common  with  Spiritualists  gen- 
erally, that  there  is  a  spiritual  body,  and  that  it  can 
leave,  temporarily,  the  natural  body  during  the  life  of 
the  latter.  In  the  chapter  on  dreams  he  gives  several 
narratives  in  support  of  this  theory.  In  my  opinion, 
they  are  properly  placed^  in  this  chapter,  being  simply 
dreams,  or  what  may  be  called  such ;  but  why,  holding 
the  views  Mr.  Owen  does,  he  has  placed  them  here,  I  do 
not  understand,  and  the  reason  is  unimportant 

The  following  is  taken  from  Abercrombie's  work. 
The  dream  occurred  to  Joseph  Wilkins,  at  the  time 
usher  of  a  school  in  Devonshire,  England,  afterward 
dissenting  clergyman  at  Weymouth  ;  and  the  narrative 
was  written  by  himself.  It  may  be  proper  to  state  that 
the  titles  of  these  narratives  are  added,  or  prefixed,  by 
Mr.  Owen. 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  285 

"  The  Mother  and  Son" 

"  One  night,  soon  after  I  was  in  bed,  I  fell  asleep,  and 
dreamed  I  was  going  to  London.  I  thought  it  would 
not  be  much  out  of  my  way  to  go  through  Gloucester- 
shire and  call  upon  my  friends  there.  Accordingly,  I 
.set  out,  but  remembered  nothing  that  happened  by  the 
way  till  I  came  to  my  father's  house ;  when  I  went  to 
the  front  door  and  tried  to  open  it,  but  found  it  fast 
Then  I  went  to  the  back  door,  which  I  opened,  and 
went  in  ;  but,  finding  all  the  family  were  in  bed,  I 
crossed  the  rooms  only,  went  up-stairs,  and  entered  the 
chamber  where  my  father  and  mother  were  in  bed. 
As  I  went  by  the  side  of  the  bed  on  which  my  father 
lay,  I  found  him  asleep,  or  thought  he  was  .so ;  then  I 
went  to  the  other  side,  and,  having  just  turned  the  foot 
of  the  bed,  I  found  my  mother  awake,  to  whom  I  said 
these  words : — '  Mother,  I  am  going  a  long  journey,  and 
am  come  to  bid  you  good-by.'  Upon  which  she  an- 
swered in  a  fright,  '  Oh,  dear  son,  thou  art  dead ! ' 
With  this  I  awoke,  and  took  no  notice  of  it  more  than 
a  common  dream,  except  that  it  appeared  to  me  very 
perfect  In  a  few  days  after,  as  soon  as  a  letter  could 
reach  me,  I  received  one  by  post  from  my  father :  upon 
the  receipt  of  which  I  was  a  little  surprised,  and  con- 
cluded something  extraordinary  must  have  happened, 
as  it  was  but  a  short  time  before  I  had  a  letter  from  my 
friends,  and  all  were  well.  Upon  opening  it  I  was  more 
surprised  still ;  for  my  father  addressed  me  as  though  I 
was  dead,  desiring  me,  if  alive,  or  whoever's  hands  the 
letter  might  fall  into,  to  write  immediately ;  but  if  the  let- 
ter should  find  me  living,  they  concluded  I  should  not  live 


286  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

long,  and  gave  this  as  a  reason  of  their  fears  :  That  on 
a  certain  night,  naming  it,  after  they  were  in  bed,  my 
father  asleep  and  my  mother  awake,  she  heard  some- 
body try  to  open  the  front  door ;  but,  finding  it  fast,  he 
went  to  the  back  door,  winch  he  opened,  came  in,  and 
came  directly  through  the  rooms  up-stairs,  and  she  per- 
fectly knew  it  to  be  my  step  ;  but  I  came  to  her  bedside, 
and  spoke  to  her  these  words : — '  Mother,  I  am  going  a 
long  j  ourney ,  and  have  come  to  bid  you  good-by. '  Upon 
which  she  answered  me,  in  a  fright,  '  Oh,  dear  son,  thou 
art  dead ! ' — which  were  the  circumstances  and  words  of 
my  dream.  But  she  heard  nothing  more  and  saw  noth- 
ing more  ;  neither  did  I  in  my  dream.  Upon  this  she 
awoke  and  told  my  father  what  had  passed ;  but  he  en- 
deavored to  appease  her,  persuading  her  it  was  only  a 
dream.  She  insisted  it  was  no  dream,  for  that  she  was 
as  perfectly  awake  as  ever  she  was,  and  had  not  the 
least  inclination  to  sleep  since  she  was  in  bed.  From 
these  circumstances  I  am  apt  to  think  it  was  at  the  very 
same  instant  when  my  dream  happened,  though  the  dis- 
tance between  us  was  about  one  hundred  miles ;  but  of 
this  I  cannot  speak  positively.  This  occurred  while  I 
was  at  the  academy  at  Ottery,  Devon,  in  the  year  1754 ; 
and  at  this  moment  every  circumstance  is  fresh  upon 
my  mind.  I  have,  since,  had  frequent  opportunities  of 
talking  over  the  affair  with  my  mother,  and  the  whole 
was  as  fresh  upon  her  mind  as  it  was  upon  mine.  I 
have  often  thought  that  her  sensations  as  to  this  matter 
were  stronger  than  mine.  What  may  appear  strange  is, 
that  I  cannot  remember  anything  remarkable  happen- 
ing hereupon.  This  is  only  a  plain,  simple  narrative 
of  a  matter  of  fact" 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  287 

Whether  the  mother  was  really  asleep,  or  not,  is  im- 
material ;  she  was  lying  in  bed,  her  mind  in  a  receptive 
condition ;  and  I  assume  that  this  is  an  instance  of  one 
mind  acting  upon  another  at  a  distance.  As  I  have 
given  in  a  preceding  chapter  what  I  consider  a  correct 
explanation  of  such  phenomena,  I  will  here  merely  no- 
tice the  absurdity  of  the  spiritual-body  hypothesis,  as 
applied  to  such  a  case. 

Upon  the  latter  hypothesis,  it  is  necessary  to  suppose 
that  the  spiritual  body  of  the  son  could  leave  the  nat- 
ural body,  and  the  house  in  which  it  lay,  without  diffi- 
culty ;  and  could  travel  one  hundred  miles  in,  let  us 
say,  an  instant ;  but,  when  it  came  to  the  residence  of 
the  parents,  it  could  not  enter  without  opening  the  door, 
and,  finding  the  front  door  fastened,  was  obliged  to  go 
to  the  back  door.  Again,  on  entering  the  house,  it 
walked  precisely  as  the  natural  body  would  have  done, 
and  the  tread  was  so  firm  that  the  mother,  up-stairs, 
heard  and  recognized  it  This  being  the  case,  how 
could  it  travel  one  hundred  miles  in,  at  farthest,  a  few 
minutes  ?  Once  more,  as  the  spirit  was  heard  to  open 
the  door  and  walk  across  the  rooms  on  entering,  why 
was  it  not  heard  to  do  the  same  on  leaving  ?  And  why 
should  he  leave  so  suddenly  when  spoken  to  by  the 
mother,  without  assuring  her  that  he  was  not  dead  ?  Pos- 
sibly the  reply  to  the  latter  question  would  be,  that  the 
awakening  of  the  natural  body  recalled  the  spiritual 
body.  Then  it  must  be  assumed  that  there  was  some 
kind  of  a  connection  existing  between  the  natural  and 
spiritual  bodies,  extending  over  the  distance  of  one  hun- 
dred miles.  It  strikes  me  that  it  is  as  difficult  to  un- 
derstand how  this  could  be  as  to  understand  how  the 


MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

mind  of  the  son  could  influence  that  of  the  mother  at 
that  distance^  But  what  kind  of  a  phenomenon  would 
the  awaking  of  the  natural  body  be  in  such  a  case,  the 
mind  being  with  the  spiritual  body,  one  hundred  miles 
distant?  The  spiritual  hypothesis,  as  applied  to  such 
a  phenomenon  as  that  described  in  this  narrative,  ap- 
pears to  me,  in  every  respect,  an  utter  absurdity. 

I  will  notice  one  more  narrative  of  this  class,  which, 
if  true,  proves  clearly,  I  think,  that  one  mind  can  pro- 
duce an  impression  upon  another  at  a  distance  of  several 
hundred  miles.  The  following,  Mr.  Owen  says,  "was 
communicated  to  me  in  March,  1859,  by  Miss  A.  M. 

H ,  the  talented  daughter  of  a    gentleman  well 

known  in  the  literary  circles  of  Great  Britain.  I  give 
it  in  her  words." 

"  One  Dream  the  Counterpart  of  Another" 

"  We  had  a  friend,  S ,  who  some  years  ago  was  in 

a  delicate  state  of  health,  believed  to  be  consumptive. 
He  lived  several  hundred  miles  from  us,  and,  although 
our  family  were  intimately  acquainted  with  himself,  we 
knew  neither  his  home  nor  any  of  his  family  ;  our  in- 
tercourse being  chiefly  by  letters,  received  at  inter- 
vals. One  night,  when  there  was  no  special  cause  for 
my  mind  reverting  to  our  friend  or  to  his  state  of  health, 
I  dreamed  that  I  had  to  go  to  the  town  where  he  re- 
sided. In  my  dream  I  seemed  to  arrive  at  a  particular 
house,  into  which  I  entered,  and  went  straight  up-stairs 
into  a  darkened  chamber.  There,  on  his. bed,  I  saw 

S lying  as  if  about  to  die.     I  walked  up  to  him ; 

and,  not  mournfully,  but  as  if  filled  with  hopeful  assur- 
ance, I  took  his  hand  and  said,  *  No,  you  are  not  going 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  289 

to  die.  Be  comforted :  you  will  live.'  Even  as  I  spoke 
I  seemed  to  hear  an  exquisite  strain  of  music  sounding 
through  the  room.  On  awaking,  so  vivid  were  the  im- 
pressions remaining  that,  unable  to  shake  them  off  even 
the  next  day,  I  communicated  them  to  my  mother,  and 
then  wrote  to  S ,  inquiring  after  his  health,  but  giv- 
ing him  no  clew  to  the  cause  of  my  anxiety.  His  reply 
informed  us  that  he  had  been  very  ill — indeed,  sup- 
posed to  be  at  the  point  of  death — and  that  my  letter, 
which  for  several  days  he  had  been  too  ill  to  read,  had 
been  a  great  happiness  to  him. 

"  It  was  three  years  after  this  that  my  mother  and  I 

met  S in  London  ;  and,  the  conversation  turning 

on  dreams,  I  said, '  By  the  way,  I  had  a  singular  dream 
about  you  three  years  ago,  when  you  were  so  ill ; '  and 
I  related  it  As  I  proceeded,  I  observed  a  remarkable 
expression  spread  over  his  face ;  and  when  I  concluded 
he  said,  with  much  emotion.  4  This  is  singular  indeed ; 
for  I  too  had,  a  night  or  two  before  your  letter  arrived, 
a  dream  the  very  counterpart  of  yours.  I  seemed  to 
myself  on  the  point  of  death,  and  was  taking  final  leave 
of  my  brother.  "Is  there  anything,"  he  said,  "I  can 
do  for  you  before  you  die  ?"  "  Yes,"  I  replied,  in  my 

dream  ;  "  two  things.     Send  for  my  friend  A.  M.  H . 

I  must  see  her  before  I  depart"  u  Impossible  !  "  said 
my  brother ;  "  it  would  be  an  unheard-of  thing :  she 
would  never  come."  "She  would,"  I  insisted,  in  my 
dream,  and  added,  "  I  would  also  hear  my  favorite  so- 
nata by  Beethoven,  ere  I  die."  "  But  these  are  trifles," 
exclaimed  my  brother,  almost  sternly.  "  Have  you  no 
desires  more  earnest  at  so  solemn  an  hour?  "  "  No :  to 
see  my  friend  A.  M.  and  to  hear  that  sonata,  that  is  all  I 


290  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

wish."  And,  even  as  I  spoke,  in  my  dream  I  saw  you 
enter.  You  walked  up  to  the  bed  with  a  cheerful  air ; 
and,  while  the  music  I  had  longed  for  filled  the  room, 
you  spoke  to  me  encouragingly,  saying  I  should  not 
die.'  " 

This  narrative  will  be  best  understood  by  reading  the 
second  part  first ;  when  it  will  be  evident,  that  if  the 

spiritual  body  of  Miss  H visited  Mr.  S ,  the 

visit  was  in  consequence  of  the  desire  of  the  latter,  im- 
pressed upon  her  mind.  But  if  this  impression  could 
be  made  at  the  distance  named,  a  dream  might  be  pro- 
duced at  the  same  distance  by  the  mind  of  Mr.  S 

acting  upon  hers. 

Mr.  Owen  calls  this  a  phenomenon  of  "  two  concur- 
ring and  synchronous  dreams ;"  and  he  uses  the  word 
dream  in  speaking  of  the  Wilkins  narrative ;  but  he 
appears  to  use  it  as  merely  implying  that  the  natural 
body  was  asleep.  He  will  not  admit  that  one  mind 
can  influence  another  at  such  a  distance  ;  and  claims — 
quite  logically,  I  think — that  such  precise  coincidences 
cannot  be  accidental.  He  says :  "  In  another  chapter 
will  be  adduced  such  evidence  as  I  have  obtained  that 
the  appearance  of  a  living  person  at  a  greater  or  less  dis- 
tance from  where  that  person  actually  is,  and  perhaps 
usually  where  the  thoughts  or  affections  of  that  person 
may  be  supposed,  at  the  moment,  to  be  concentrated,  is 
a  phenomenon  of  not  infrequent  occurrence.  If  it  be 
admitted,  it  may  furnish  the  true  explanation  of  the 
Wilkins  dream,  the  Goffe  dream,*  and  others  similar 
in  character." 

*  This  narrative  is  very  similar  to  that  of  Mr.  Wilkins. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  291 

The  chapter  here  alluded  to  is  that  on  "  Apparitions 
of  the  Living,"  which  will  be  noticed  in  its  proper  order. 

The  narrative  of  Miss  H is  not  referred  to  in  this 

extract,  but  I  think  it  will  not  be  disputed  that  if  this 
was  an  example  of  synchronous  dreams,  as  the  word 
dreams  is  generally  understood,  then  the  cases  named 
may  be  considered  as  being  of  the  same  character. 

Now,  is  it  possible  to  suppose  that  the  narrative  of 

Miss  H describes  real  occurrences,  and  not  dreams  ? 

Was  the  music  real  ?  If  this  was  an  illusion,  then,  of 

course,  the  whole  was  an  illusion.  Mr.  S wished 

Miss  H to  come  and  perform  his  favorite  sonata ; 

but  seems  to  have  had  no  idea  in  his  mind  as  to  the 
kind  of  instrument  it  was  to  be  performed  upon.  It 
does  not  appear,  and  is  not  probable,  that  he  had  any 

musical  instrument  in  his  room.  When  Miss  H 

came,  he  heard  the  music,  but — an  incoherence  common 
in  dreams — it  did  not  appear  to  be  performed  by  her, 
and  he  had  no  idea  by  whom,  or  on  what,  it  was  per- 
formed. The  dream  of  Miss  H.  was  equally  vague  and 
indefinite  on  this  point  In  short,  the  two  dreams  pre- 
cisely corresponded,  terminating  at  the  same  point :  both 

dreamt  of  the  entrance  of  Miss  S- into  the  room,  and 

neither  of  her  leaving  it  The  same  was  the  case  in  the 
Wilfcms  dream;  and  in  every  well-authenticated  in- 
stance of  the  kind,  the  dreams  coincide  too  minutely  to 
be  real  occurrences.  If  a  visit  was  really  made'  by  a 
"spirit,"  and  a  conversation  took  place,  the  recollection 
of  the  occurrence  by  the  two  parties  would  not  be  so 
precisely  alike,  and  so  entirely  confined  to  the  same 
particulars. 

I  presume  that  these  synochronous  dreams  occur 


292  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

much  more  frequently  than  is  generally  supposed.  Peo- 
ple rarely  tell  their  dreams ;  in  fact,  unless  the  impres- 
sion is  very  vivid,  they  do  not  recollect  them ;  and  it 
may  be  considered  an  accidental  circumstance  that  a 
coincidence  of  the  kind  becomes  known.  Three  years 

elapsed,  it  appears,  before  Miss  H and  Mr.  S 

learned  of  each  other's  dream. 

I  will  now  pass  to  the  chapter  of  Mr.  Owen's  work, 
on  "Disturbances  popularly  termed  Hauntings." 

If  a  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  invisible 
world  are  such  as  I  have  described ;  if  they  can  find 
nothing  to  interest  them  in  the  world  to  which  they 
now  belong  ;  then,  we  can  readily  imagine  that  they  will 
haunt  the  scenes  of  former  pleasure,  and  be  drawn  to 
certain  spots  by  recollections  of  events  of  special  inter- 
est which  there  occurred. 

I  contend  it  is  not  true,  however,  that  there  are  now, 
or  ever  were.,  houses  in  which  disturbances  of  the  kind 
alluded  to  in  the  chapter  under  notice  could  be  made 
without  the  presence  of  what  are  now  called  mediums  ; 
that  is,  without  the  presence  of  one  of  our  world  whose 
electricity  could  be  used  to  create  the  disturbances. 
The  point  for  examination,  then,  is,  whether  there  is 
any  evidence  that  the  invisible  beings  have  power  to 
create  these  disturbances  otherwise  than  in  the  manner 
I  have  pointed  out  The  following  narrative  conveys 
more  nearly  than  any  other  in  the  chapter  the  popular 
idea  of  a  haunted  house,  as  the  building  appears  to  have 
been  uninhabited  previous  to  the  visit  of  the  parties 
named: 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  293 

"  The  Castk  of  Sfawensik." 

This  narrative  is  too  lengthy  to  copy  entire,  but  I  will 
give  the  substance. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1806,  Councilor  Hahn 
attached  to  the  court  of  the  reigning  Prince  of  Hohen- 
lohe,  Neuenstein-Ingelfingen,  received  orders  from  the 
prince  to  proceed  to  the  above  castle,  situated  in  Upper 
Silesia,  and  there  await  his  orders.  Hahn  was  accom- 
panied by  Cornet  Charles  Kern.  They  both  occupied 
the  same  room  in  the  castle,  which  was  a  corner  room 
on  the  first  floor,  having  no  opening  without  except 
the  windows.  The  only  residents  of  the  castle  at  the 
time  were  Hahn,  Kern,  Hahn's  servant,  and  two  of  the 
prince's  coachmen. 

"  On  the  third  evening  after  their  arrival  in  the  cas- 
tle, the  two  friends  were  sitting  reading  at  a  table  in  the 
middle  of  the  room.  About  nine  o'clock  their  occupa- 
tion was  interrupted  by  the  frequent  falling  of'  small 
bits  of  lime  over  the  room.  They  examined  the  ceiling, 
but  could  perceive  no  signs  of  their  having  fallen  thence. 
As  they  were  conversing  of  this,  still  larger  pieces  of 
lime  fell  around  them.  This  lime  was  cold  to  the  touch, 
as  if  detached  from  an  outside  wall. 

"  They  finally  set  it  down  to  the  account  of  the  old 
walls  of  the  castle,  and  went  to  bed  and  to  sleep.  The 
next  morning  they  were  astonished  at  the  quantity  of 
lime  that  covered  the  floor,  the  more  so  as  they  could 
not  perceive  on  walls  or  ceiling  the  slightest  appearance 
of  injury.  By  evening,  however,  the  incident  was  for- 
gotten, until  not  only  the  same  phenomenon  recurred, 
but  bits  of  lime  were  thrown  about  the  room,  several  of 
which  struck  Haha  At  the  same  time  loud  knockings, 


294  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

like  the  reports  of  distant  artillery,  were  heard,  some- 
times as  if  on  the  floor,  sometimes  as  if  on  the  ceding. 
Again  the  friends  went  to  bed  ;  but  the  loudness  of  the 
knocks  prevented  their  sleeping.  Kern  accused  Hahn 
of  causing  the  knockings  by  striking  on  the  boards  that 
formed  the  under  portion  of  his  bedstead,  and  was  not 
convinced  of  the  contrary  till  he  had  taken  the  light 
and  examined  for  himself.  Then  Hahn  conceived  a 
similar  suspicion  of  Kern.  The  dispute  was  settled  by 
both  rising  and  standing  close  together,  during  which 
time  the  knockings  continued  as  before.  Next  evening, 
besides  the  throwing  of  lime  and  the  knockings,  they 
heard  another  sound,  resembling  the  distant  beating  of 
a  drum. 

"  Thereupon  they  requested  of  a  lady  who  had  charge 
of  the  castle,  Madame  Knittel,  the  keys  of  the  rooms 
above  and  below  them ;  which  she  immediately  sent 
them  by  her  son.  Hahn  remained  in  the  chamber  be- 
low, while  Kern  and  young  Knittel  went  to  examine 
the  apartment  in  question.  Above  they  found  an  empty 
room,  below  a  kitchen.  They  knocked  ;  but  the  sounds 
were  entirely  different  from  those  that  they  had  heard, 
and  which  Hahn  at  that  very  time  continued  to  hear, 
in  the  room  below.  When  they  returned  from  their 
search,  Hahii  said,  jestingly,  'The  place  is  haunted.' 
They  again  went  to  bed,  leaving  the  candles  burning  ; 
but  things  became  still  more  serious,  for  they  distinctly 
heard  a  sound  as  if  some  one  with  loose  slippers  on  were 
walking  across  the  room ;  and  this  was  accompanied 
also  with  a  noise  as  of  a  walking-stick  on  which  some 
one  was  leaning,  striking  the  floor  step  by  step ;  the 
person  seeming,  as  far  as  one  could  judge  by  the  sound, 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  295 

to  be  walking  up  and  down  the  room.  Hahn  jested 
at  this,  Kern  laughed,  and  both  went  to  sleep,  still  not 
seriously  disposed  to  ascribe  these  strange  phenomena 
to  any  supernatural  source. 

"  Next  evening,  however,  it  seemed  impossible  to 
ascribe  the  occurrences  to  any  natural  causa  The 
agency,  whatever  it  was,  began  to  throw  various  articles 
about  the  room — knives,  forks,  brushes,  caps,  slippers, 
padlocks,  a  funnel,  snuffers,  soap,  in  short,  whatever 
was  loose  about  the  apartment  Even  candlesticks  flew 
about,  first  from  one  corner,  then  from  another.  If  the 
things  had  been  left  lying  as  they  fell,  the  whole  room 
would  have  b:en  strewed  in  utter  confusion.  At  the 
same  tune  there  fell,  at  intervals,  more  lime ;  but  the 
knockings  were  discontinued.  Then  the  friends  called 
up  the  two  coachmen  and  Hahn's  servant,  besides 
young  Knittel,  the  watchman  of  the  castle,  and  others ; 
all  of  whom  were  witnesses  of  these  disturbances." 

After  the  disturbances  had  continued  about  three 
weeks,  Hahn  and  Kern  removed  into  the  room  imme- 
diately over  the  one  they  had  been  occupying  ;  but  the 
same  phenomena  followed  them  to  their  new  apartment 
The  story  of  the  disturbances  spread  over  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  others  visited  the  castle  and  witnessed  them. 
Finally,  the  two  friends  moved  into  another  room — the 
third  occupied — when,  as  it  appears,  the  disturbances 
ceasecL 

The  narrative  is  taken  by  Mr.  Owen,  from  Dr.  Ker- 
ner's  life  of  the  "  Seeress  of  Prevorst,"  it  having  been 
communicated  to  Dr.  Kerner  by  Hahn,  and  it  is  attested 
by  the  latter,  as  follows :  "  I  saw  and  heard  everything, 
exactly  as  here  set  down :  observing  the  whole  carefully 


296  .    MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

and  quietly.  I  experienced  no  fear  whatever;  yet  I 
am  wholly  unable  to  account  for  the  occurrences  nar 
rated. 

"Written  this  19th  of  November,  1808. 

"COUNCILOR  HAHK" 

Two  subsequent  letters  from  Hahn  to  Dr.  Kerner, 
upon  the  subject,  are  given  by  Mr.  Owen,  the  last  letter 
being  written  in  the  year  1831,  and  both  affirming  the 
correctness  of  the  narrative.  It  is  also  stated  that  a 
gentleman  of  the  utmost  respectability,  residing  in 
Stuttgart,  visited  Slawensik  in  the  year  1830,  for  the 
purpose  of  verifying  the  narrative ;  and  that,  while 
some  ridiculed  it,  the  only  two  men  he  met  with  that 
had  witnessed  the  events,  confirmed  its  accuracy  in 
every  particular. 

"  This  gentleman  further  ascertained  that  the  castle 
of  Slawensik  had  been  since  destroyed;  and  that,  in 
clearing  away  the  ruins,  there  was  found  a  male  skel- 
eton walled  in,  and  without  coffin,  with  the  skull  split 
open.  By  the  side  of  this  skeleton  lay  a  sword." 

This  last  story  is  not  very  well  authenticated.  Some 
tragedy  may  have  been  enacted  in  the  castle  which  was 
the  cause  of  its  being  haunted  by  former  occupants ; 
but  it  is  equally  probable  that  the  cause  was  the  latter 
having  lived  there  a  life  of  pleasure. 

No  phenomena  of  the  kind — so  far  as  appears  from 
the  narrative  of  Hahn,  and  the  report  of  the  gentleman 
who  subsequently  visited  the  place — were  ever  wit 
nessed  in  the  castle  before  or  after  the  visit  of  Hahn 
and  Kern,  In  that  portion  of  the  narrative  which  I 
have  copied,  it  is  stated  that  when  Kern  and  young 
Knittel  went  into  the  room  above,  Hahn  continued  to 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  297 

hear  the  knockings,  but  Kern  and  Knittel  heard  noth- 
ing. And  in  a  subsequent  portion  it  is  stated  that 
Hahn  witnessed  the  disturbances  when  entirely  alone 
in  the  castle. 

"  Hahn  resolved  that  he  would  investigate  them  se- 
riously. He  accordingly,  one  evening,  sat  down  at  his 
writing-table,  with  two  lighted  candles  before  him — 
being  so  placed  that  he  could  observe  the  whole  room, 
and  especially  all  the  windows  and  doors.  He  was  left, 
for  a  time,  entirely  alone  in  the  castle — the  coachmen 
being  in  the  stables,  and  Kern  having  gone  out  Yet 
the  very  same  occurrences  took  place  as  before ;  nay, 
the  snuffers,  under  his  very  eyes,  were  raised  and 
whirled  about" 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  disturbances  ever  oc- 
curred without  the  presence  of  Hahn  in  the  vicinity ; 
and  as  they  occurred  in  his  presence  when  alone,  it  is 
evident  that  he  was  the  instrument  employed. 

The  disturbances  in  the  residence  of  the  Fox  family, 
at  Hydesville,  N.  Y.,  commenced,  like  those  at  Slawen- 
sik,  soon  after  the  family  had  moved  into  the  house. 
Certain  members  of  the  family  were  probably  the  first 
occupants  through  whom  beings  of  the  other  world, 
visiting  the  house,  could  cause  the  disturbances ;  as 
Hahn  was  the  first  at  the  castle.  The  great  difference 
in  the  results  of  the  two  cases  is  owing  to  the  fact  that 
a  member  of  the  Fox  family  discovered  a  mode  of  com- 
municating with  the  invisible  beings,  in  consequence  of 
which  she  and  her  two  sisters  became  known  as  "  me- 
diums," being  followed  from  place  to  place  by  these 
beings.  Had  Hahn  made  the  same  discovery,  he  too 
would,  undoubtedly,  have  been  followed  in  the  same 


298  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

way.  So  far  as  I  have  been  atle  to  learn,  no  disturb- 
ances occurred  in  the  house  at  Hydesville  after  the  Fox 
family  left  it ;  and,  as  I  have  stated,  none  occurred  in 
the  castle  after  Hahii  left  it  The  two  cases  are  very 
similar,  except  as  to  the  results  following  the  discovery 
in  the  one  of  a  mode  of  communication. 

There  is  in  this  narrative  an  account  of  an  apparition, 
which,  I  think,  tends  to  confirm  rny  statement  that 
they  are  mostly  impressional,  or  hallucinations.  One 
evening,  when  the  disturbances  were  taking  place, 
"  Kern,  half  undressed,  paced  the  room  in  deep  thought 
Suddenly  he  stopped  before  a  mirror,  into  which  he 
chanced  to  look.  After  gazing  upon  it  for  some  ten 
minutes,  he  began  to  tremble,  turned  deadly  pale,  and 
moved  away.  Hahn,  thinking  that  he  had  been  sud- 
denly taken  ill  from  the  cold,  hastened  to  him  and 
threw  a  cloak  over  his  shoulders.  Then  Kern,  natu- 
rally a  fearless  man,  took  courage,  and  related  to  his 
friend,  though  still  with  quivering  lips,  that  he  had 
seen  in  the  mirror  the  appearance  of  a  female  figure,  in 
white,  looking  at  him,  and  apparently  before  him,  for 
he  could  see  the  reflection  of  himself  behind  it  It  was 
some  time  before  he  could  persuade  himself  that  he 
really  saw  this  figure  ;  and  for  that  reason  he  remained 
so  long  before  the  glass.  "Willingly  would  he  have  be- 
lieved that  it  was  a*  mere  trick  of  his  imagination  ;  but 
as  the  figure  looked  at  him  fall  in  the  face,  and  he 
could  perceive  its  eyes  move,  a  shudder  passed  over 
him,  and  he  turned  away.  Hahn  instantly  went  to  the 
mirror  and  called  upon  the  image  to  show  itself  to  him ; 
but,  though  he  remained  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  it, 
and  often  repeated  his  invocation,  he  saw  nothing. 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  299 

Kern  told  him  that  the  figure  exhibited  old  but  not 
disagreeable  features,  very  pale  but  tranquil  looking ; 
and  that  its  head  was  covered  with  white  drapery,  so 
that  the  face  only  appeared." 

As  Kern  saw  the  reflection  of  himself  behind  what 
appeared  to  him  the  reflection  of  a  female  figure,  and 
the  latter  appeared  to  be  looking  at  him,  it  is  evident 
that  it  was  a  case  of  hallucination ;  for,  in  the  first 
place,  if  there  had  been  any  one  between  him  and  the 
mirror,  he  could  not  have  seen  the  reflection  of  that 
person,  looking  at  him  "  full  in  the  face ; "  and,  in  the 
second  place,  as  the  image  of  an  object  reflected  from  a 
plane  mirror  is  rather  less  distinct  than  the  object 
viewed  directly,  if  there  had  been  any  person  between 
him  and  the  mirror,  he  would  have  seen  that  person 
more  distinctly  than  the  reflected1  image ;  while  the  fact 
is,  that  as  soon  as  he  ceased  looking  into  the  mirror  he 
lost  sight  of  the  image. 

But,  assuming  this  and  similar  narratives  to  be  mainly 
correct,  it  can  be  easily  understood  how  the  popular 
belief  as  to  haunted  houses  has  originated.  Disturb- 
ances of  the  kind  here  described  are  witnessed  in  a  cer- 
tain house,  when  an  individual  whose  electricity  can  be 
used  for  the  purpose  happens  to  be  in  it ;  the  report  of 
the  strange  phenomena  spreads  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  others  visiting  the  house,  who  have  heard  the  story, 
hear  noises  which  they  do  not  understand,  and  there- 
fore imagine  to  be  produced  by  the  same  invisible 
cause ;  some,  perhaps,  excited  by  what  they  have  heard, 
and  thinking  there  must  be  a  "  ghost "  in  the  house, 
fancy,  as  Kern  did,  that  they  see  one;  and  thus  the 
house  acquires  its  bad  reputation.  The  popular  belief 


800  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

is  correct  on  the  main  point ;  the  error  consisting  in 
supposing  that  the  invisible  beings  have  power,  of  them- 
selves, to  create  such  disturbances ;  when,  in  fact,  the 
presence  of  a  "medium"  of  our  world  is  always  ne- 
cessary. 

In  some  of  the  remaining  narratives  given  by  Mr. 
Owen  in  the  chapter  under  notice,  the  medium  is  plainly 
indicated ;  in  others,  this  indication  is  not  so  clear,  from 
the  fact  that  several  members  of  the  family  in  which 
the  disturbances  occurred  were  always  present  at  the 
time  they  were  taking  place.  As  narratives  of  the  lat 
ter  kind  do  not  conflict  with  the  theory  I  have  ad- 
vanced, it  is  unnecessary  to  notice  them.  But  in  some 
there  is,  as  might  be  expected,  considerable  exaggera- 
tion, allowance  for  which  must  be  made.  The  follow- 
ing, taken  from  a  work  by  Mackay,  on  "  Popular  Delu- 
sions," will  show  the  necessity  for  making  such  allow 
ance  when  examining  narratives  of  such  phenomena  • 

"  The  Farm-House  of  Baldarroch" 

"  On  the  5th  of  December,  1838,  the  inmates  of  the 
farm-house  of-  Baldarroch,  in  the  district  of  Banchory, 
Aberdeenshire  (Scotland),  were  alarmed  by  observing  a 
great  number  of  sticks,  pebble  stones,  and  clods  of  earth 
flying  about  their  yard  and  premises.  They  endeav- 
ored, but  in  vain,  to  discover  who  was  the  delinquent, 
and,  the  shower  of  stones  continuing  for  five  days  in 
succession,  they  came  at  last  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
devil  and  his  imps  were  alone  the  cause  of  it  The  ru- 
mor soon  spread  all  over  that  part  of  the  country,  and 
hundreds  of  persons  came  from  far  and  near  to  witness 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  301 

the  antics  of  the  devils  of  Baldarroch.  After  the  fifth 
day,  the  showers  of  clods  and  stones  ceased  on  the  out- 
side of  the  premises,  and  the  scene  shifted  to  the  inte- 
rior. Spoons,  knives,  plates,  mustard-pots,  rolling-pins, 
and  flat-irons,  appeared  suddenly  endued  with  the  power 
of  self-motion,  and  were  whirled  from  room  to 'room, 
and  rattled  down  the  chimneys,  in  a  manner  nobody 
could  account  for.  The  lid  of  a  mustard-pot  was  put 
into  a  cupboard  by  a  servant-girl,  in  the  presence  of 
scores  of  people,  and  in  a  few  minutes  afterward  came 
bouncing  down  the  chimney,  to  the  consternation  of 
everybody.  There  was  also  a  tremendous  knocking  at 
the  doors  and  on  the  roof,  and  pieces  of  stick  and  peb- 
ble stones  rattled  against  the  windows  and  broke  them. 
The  whole  neighborhood  was  a  scene  of  alarm;  and 
not  only  the  vulgar,  but  persons  of  education,  respect- 
able farmers  within  a  circle  of  twenty  miles,  expressed 
their  belief  in ,  the  supernatural  character  of  these 
events." 

If  the  narrative  terminated  here,  it  would  be  one  of 
the  most  difficult  of  explanation,  consistently  with  the 
theory  given  ;n  this  work,  that  I  have  seen,  appearing 
to  be  as  well  authenticated.  But  Mackay's  account 
closes  as  follows : 

"After  a  fortnight's  continuance  of  the  noises,  the 
whole  trick  was  discovered.  The  two  servant-lasses 
were  strictly  examined,  and  then  committed  to  prison. 
It  appeared  that  they  were  alone  at  the  bottom  of  the 
whole  affair,  and  that  the  extraordinary  alarm  and  cre- 
dulity of  their  master  and  mistress  in  the  first  instance, 
and  of  the  neighbors  and  country  people  afterward, 
made  their  task  comparatively  easy.  A  little  common 


302  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

dexterity  was  all  they  had  used ;  and,  being  themselves 
unsuspected,  they  swelled  the  alarm  by  the  wonderful 
stories  they  invented.  It  was  they  who  loosened  the 
bricks  in  the  chimneys  and  placed  the  dishes  in  such  a 
manner  on  the  shelves  that  they  fell  on  the  slightest 
motion." 

Mr.  Owen  remarks :  "  The  proof  that  the  girls  were 
the  authors  of  all  the  mischief  appears  to  have  rested  on 
the  fact  that  '  no  sooner  were  they  secured  in  the  county 
gaol  than  the  noises  ceased ; '  and  thus,  says  Mackay, 
'  most  people  were  convinced  that  human  agency  alone 
had  worked  all  the  wonder.'  Others,  however,  he  ad- 
mits, still  held  out  in  their  first  belief,  and  were  entirely 
dissatisfied  with  the  explanation,  as  indeed  they  very 
well  might  be,  if  we  are  to  trust  to  the  details  given  by 
Mackay  himself  of  these  disturbances." 

If  either  of  the  servant-girls  was  the  medium  through 
whom  the  disturbances  were  produced  by  invisible 
beings,  of  course  the  disturbances  would  cease  when 
both  girls  were  removed.  But  what  I  wish  to  show  by 
this  narrative  is,  the  -tendency  in  most  persons  toward 
exaggeration,  when  giving  an  account  of  such  occur- 
rences ;  whether  really  caused  by  invisible  beings,  or 
only  supposed  to  be,  makes  no  difference.  As  these 
disturbances  ceased  when  the  girls  were  removed,  it  is 
evident  that  they  could  only  have  occurred  in  their  vi- 
cinity ;  and  consequently  the  account  must  be  highly 
exaggerated.  Assuming  that  invisible  beings  bad  no 
agency  in  the  matter,  the  girls  could  not  have  performed 
what  is  described  without  immediate  detection,  if,  in- 
deed, they  could  have  performed  it  at  all.  They  might* 
loosen  bricks  in  the  chimney,  and  place  dishes  so  that 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  803 

they  would  fall  easily ;  but  that  is  not  even  an  approach 
to  an  explanation  of  the  phenomena  described  in  the 
first  part  of  the  narrative.  Now,  supposing  that  in  this 
case  the  girls  had  not  been  removed  from  the  house, 
then  there  would  have  been,  founded  upon  these  disturb- 
ances, an  apparently  wellrauthenticated  account  of  oc- 
currences totally  inexplicable  upon  any  other  hypothe- 
sis than  that  they  were  caused  by  invisible  beings,  and 
that,  too,  without  the  intervention  of  a  "  medium  "  of 
our  world ;  while,  as  it  is,  the  narrative  confirms,  in- 
stead of  conflicting  with,  the  theory  I  have  given. 

There  is  one  (and  only  one)  narrative  in  Mr.  Owen's 
work  in  which,  if  true,  it  appears  that  disturbances  in 
our  world  were  caused  by  invisible  beings  without  the 
presence  of  a  medium.  The  narrative  is  quite  lengthy, 
but  I  will  give  a  pretty  full  synopsis,  with  the  author- 
ity, and  the  reader  can  judge  as  to  its  credibility. 

"  The  Cemetery  of  Ahrensburg" 

"  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Ahrensburg,  the  only 
town  in  the  island  of  Oesel,*  is  the  public  cemetery. 
Tastefully  laid  out  and  carefully  kept,  planted  with 
trees  and  partly  surrounded  by  a  grove  dotted  with 
evergreens,  it  is  a  favorite  promenade  of  the  inhabit- 
ants. Besides  its  tombs, — in  every  variety,  from  the 
humblest  to  the  most  elaborate — it  contains  several  pri- 
vate chapels,  each  the  burying-place  of  some  family  of 
distinction.  Underneath  each  of  these  is  a  vault,  paved 
with  wood,  to  which  the  descent  is  by  a  stairway  from 
inside  the  chapel  and  closed  by  a  door.  The  coffins  of 

*  In  the  Baltic. 


304  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

the  members  of  the  family  more  recently  deceased  usu- 
ally remain  for  a  time  in  the  chapel.  They  are  after- 
ward transferred  to  the  vaults,  and  there  placed  side  by 
side,  elevated  on  iron  bars.  These  coffins  it  is  the  cus- 
tom to  make  of  massive  oak,  very  heavy  and  strongly 
put  together. 

"  The  public  highway  passes  in  front  of  the  cemetery, 
and  at  a  short  distance  therefrom.  Conspicuous,  and  to 
be  seen  by  the  traveler  as  he  rides  by,  are  three  chapels, 
facing  the  highway.  Of  these  the  most  spacious, 
adorned  with  pillars  in  front,  is  that  belonging  to  the 
family  of  Buxhoewden,  of  patrician  descent,  and  origin- 
ally from  the  city  of  Bremen.  It  has  been  their  place 
of  interment  for  several  generations." 

It  was  in  this  chapel,  which  previously  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  haunted,  that  the  disturbances  are  stated 
to  have  taken  place.  Country  people  visiting  the  ceme- 
tery were  in  the  habit  of  fastening  their  horses  immedi- 
ately in  front  of,  and  close  to  this  chapel. 

On  the  22d  of  June,  in  the  year  1844,  a  woman  vis- 
ited the  cemetery,  and  fastened  her  horse,  as  usual,  in 
front  of  the  chapel.  While  kneeling  in  prayer  by  the 
grave  of  her  mother,  situated  behind  the  chapel,  she 
had  an  indistinct  perception,  as  she  afterward  remem- 
bered, of  hearing  noises  in  the  direction  of  the  chapel. 
On  returning  to  her  horse,  after  completing  her  prayers, 
she  found  it  covered  with  sweat  and  foam,  its  limbs 
trembling,  and  apparently  in  mortal  terror.  It  was 
scarcely  able  to  walk,  and  she  was  obliged  to  call  a 
veterinary  surgeon.  He  said  the  horse  must  have  been 
excessively  terrified  from  some  cause  ;  bled  it,  adminis- 
tered a  remedy,  and  it  recovered. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  305 

The  following  Sunday  several  persons,  who  had  fast- 
ened their  horses  in  front  of  the  chapel,  reported  that 
they  found  them  in  a  somewhat  similar  condition;  and' 
some  of  them  stated  that  they  heard,  seeming  to  pro- 
ceed from  the  vaults  of  the  chapel,  rumbling  sounds 
which  occasionally  assumed  the  character  of  groans. 

"  And  this  was  but  the  prelude  to  further  disturb- 
ances, gradually  increasing  in  frequency.  One  day  in 
the  course  of  the  next  month  (July)  it  happened  that 
eleven  horses  were  fastened  close  to  the  columns  of  the 
chapel.  Some  persons,  passing  near  by,  and  hearing, 
as  they  alleged,  loud  noises,  as  if  issuing  from  beneath 
the  building,  raised  the  alarm ;  and  when  the  owners 
reached  the  spot  they  found  the  poor  animals  in  a  pitia- 
ble condition.  Several  of  them,  in  their  frantic  efforts 
to  escape,  had  thrown  themselves  on  the  ground,  and 
lay  struggling  there  ;  others  were  scarcely  able  to  walk 
or  stand ;  and  all  were  violently  affected,  so  that  it  be- 
came necessary  immediately  to  resort  to  bleeding  and 
other  means  of  relief.  In  the  case  of  three  or  four  of 
them  these  means  proved  unavailing.  They  died  within 
a  day  or  two. 

"  This  was  serious.  And  it  was  the  cause  of  a  formal 
complaint  being  made  by  some  of  the  sufferers  to  the 
Consistory — a  court  holding  its  sittings  at  Ahrensburg 
and  having  charge  of  ecclesiastical  affairs. 

"  About  the  same  time,  a  member  of  the  Buxhoewden 
family  died.  At  his  funeral,  during  the  reading  in  the 
chapel  of  the  service  for  the  dead,  what  seemed  groans 
and  other  strange  noises  were  heard  from  beneath,  to 
the  great  terror  of  some  of  the  assistants,  the  servants 
especially.  The  horses  attached  to  the  hearse  and  to 


306  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

the  mourning-coaches  were  sensibly  affected,  but  not  so 
violently  as  some  of  the  others  had  been.  After  the  in- 
terment, three  or  four  of  those  who  had  been  present, 
bolder  than  their  neighbors,  descended  to  the  vault 
While  there  they  heard  nothing;  but  they  found,  to 
their  infinite  surprise,  that  of  the  numerous  coffins  which 
had  been  deposited  there  in  due  order  side  by  side,  al- 
most all  had  been  displaced  and  lay  in  a  confused  pile. 
They  sought  in  vain  for  any  cause  that  might  account 
for  this.  The  doors  were  always  kept  carefully  fast- 
ened, and  the  locks  showed  no  signs  of  having  been 
tampered  with.  The  coffins  were  replaced  in  due  or- 
der." 

The  excitement  increasing,  and  renewed  complaints 
reaching  the  Consistory,  an  inquiry  was  proposed,  which 
the  family  at  first  objected  to.  But  the  Baron  de  Gul- 
denstubbe,  president  of  the  Consistory,  having  visited 
the  vault  in  company  with  two  members  of  the  family, 
and  found  the  coffins  again  in  the  same  disorder — which 
were  again  replaced — an  official  investigation  was  as- 
sented to. 

"The  persons  charged  with  this  investigation  wer3 
the  Baron  de  Guldenstubbe,  as  president,  and  the  bishop 
of  the  province,  as  vice-president,  of  the  Consistory ; 
two  other  members  of  the  same  body;  a  physician, 
named  Luce ;  and,  on  the  part  of  the  magistracy  of  the 
town,  the  burgomaster,  named  Schmidt,  one  of  the  syn- 
dics, and  a  secretary. 

"  They  proceeded,  in  a  body,  to  institute  a  careful 
examination  of  the  vault  All  the  coffins  there  depos- 
ited, with  the  exception  of  three,  were  found  this  time 
as  before,  displaced.  Of  the  three  coffins  forming  the 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  307 

exception,  one  contained  the  remains  of  a  grandmother 
of  the  then  representative  of  the  family,  who  had  died 
about  five  years  previous ;  and  the  two  others  were  of 
young  children.  The  grandmother  had  been,  in  life, 
revered  almost  as  a  saint,  for  her  great  piety  and  con- 
stant deeds  of  charity  and  benevolence." 

The  commission  found,  on  examination,  that  nothing 
had  been  carried  off:  the  ornaments  of  the  coffins  were 
found  untouched,  and  the  articles  of  jewelry,  which  had 
been  buried  with  the  corpses,  remained  in  the  coffins. 
They  had  the  pavement  of  the  vault  taken  up,  and  the 
foundations  of  the  chapel  examined,  to  ascertain  if  there 
was  any  subterranean  entrance,  but  found  none.  The 
coffins  were  replaced,  and  ashes  strewed  over  the  pave- 
ment of  the  vault,  the  stairs  leading  down  to  it  from  the 
chapel,  and  the  floor  of  the  chapel.  Both  doors,  the 
inner  and  the  outer,  after  being  carefully  locked,  were 
doubly  sealed  ;  first  with  the  official  seal  of  the  Con- 
sistory, then  with  that  bearing  the  arms  of  the  city. 
Finally,  guards,  selected  from  the  garrison  of  the  town, 
were  set  for  three  days  and  nights  to  watch  the  build- 
ing and  prevent  any  one  from  approaching  it. 

"  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  commission  of  inquiry 
returned  to  ascertain  the  result.  Both  doors  were  found 
securely  locked  and  the  seals  inviolate.  They  entered. 
The  coating  of  ashes  still  presented  a  smooth,  unbroken 
surface.  Neither  in  the  chapel  nor  on  the  stairway 
leading  to  the  vault  was  there  the  trace  of  a  footstep 
of  man  or  animal.  The  vault  was  sufficiently  lighted 
from  the  chapel  to  make  every  object  distinctly  visible. 
They  descended.  With  beating  hearts,  they  gazed  on 
the  spectacle  before  them.  Not  only  was  every  coffin, 


308  MODEEN   DIABOLISM. 

with  the  same  three  exceptions  as  before,  displaced,  and 
the  whole  scattered  in  confusion  over  the  place,  but  many 
of  t*hem,  weighty  as  they  were,  had  been  set  on  end,  so 
that  the  head  of  the  corpse  was  downward.  Nor  was 
even  this  all.  The  lid  of  one  coffin  had  been  partially 
forced  open,  and  there  projected  the  shriveled  right  arm 
of  the  corpse  it  contained,  showing  beyond  the  elbow  : 
the  lower  arm  being  turned  up  toward  the  ceiling  of 
the  vault ! " 

No  trace  of  footstep  was  discovered  in  the  vault,  and 
this  time,  as  before,  the  commission  found  that  nothing 
had  been  carried  off. 

"  They  approached,  with  some  trepidation,  the  coffin 
from  one  side  of  which  the  arm  projected  ;  and,  with  a 
shudder,  they  recognized  it  as  that  in  which  had  been 
placed  the  remains  of  a  member  of  the  Buxhoewden 
family  who  had  committed  suicide.  The  matter  had 
been  hushed  up  at  the  time,  through  the  influence  of 
the  family,  and  the  self-destroyer  had  been  buried  with 
the  usual  ceremonies ;  but  the  fact  transpired,  and  was 
known  all  over  the  island,  that  he  was  found  with  his 
throat  cut  and  the  bloody  razor  still  grasped  in  his  right 
hand — the  same  hand  that  was  now  thrust  forth  to  hu- 
man view  from  under  the  coffin  lid ;  a  ghastly  memo- 
rial, it  seemed,  of  the  rash  deed  which  had  ushered  the 
unhappy  man,  uncalled,  into  another  world  !  " 

The  commission,  it  is  stated,  made  an  official  report, 
which  is  to  be  found  in  the  archives  of  the  Consistory. 

"  It  remains  fo  be  stated  that,  as  the  disturbances 
continued  for  several  months  after  this  investigation, 
the  family,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  the  annoyance,  resolved 
to  try  the  effect  of  burying  the  coffins.  This  they  did, 


f  REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  309 

covering  them  up,  to  a  considerable  depth,  with  earth. 
The  expedient  succeeded.  From  that  time  forth  no 
noises  were  heard  to  proceed  from  the  chapel ;  horses 
could  be  fastened  with  impunity  before  it ;  and  the  in- 
habitants, recovering  from  their  alarm,  frequented  with 
their  children,  as  usual,  their  favorite  resort" 

This  narrative  was  given  Mr.  Owen,  in  the  year  1859, 
by  Mademoiselle  de  Guldenstubbe,  daughter  of  the  baron 
referred  to.  According  to  the  narrative,  these  remark- 
able disturbances  do  not  appear  to  have  depended  upon 
the  presence  in  the  vicinity  of  any  particular  person  or 
persons.  And  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  authority 
for  the  story  seems,  on  first  view,  very  strong ;  as  the 
narrator  was  the  daughter  of  a  baron,  and,  as  is  stated, 
"  was  residing  in  her  father's  house  at  the  time,  and  was 
cognizant  of  each  minute  particular."  Here  again,  then, 
but  for  an  accidental  circumstance,  would  have  been  an 
apparently  well-authenticated 'account,  going  to  disprove 
the  theory  I  have  given. 

In  the  copy  of  Mr.  Owen's  work  which  I  have.  I  find, 
on  page  345,  the  following  : 

"  Note  to  tenth  thousand. — In  the  first  editions  of 
this  work,  another  narrative,  bearing  upon  the  habitual 
appearance  of  a  living  person,  was  here  given.  It  is 
now  replaced  by  that  of  the  '  Two  Sisters,'  for  the  fol- 
lowing reasons :  A  friend  of  one  of  the  parties  con- 
cerned, having  made  inquiries  regarding  the  story, 
kindly  furnished  me  with  the  result ;  and  the  evidence 
thus  adduced  tended  to  invalidate  essential  portions  of 
it.  A  recent  visit  to  Europe  enabled  me  to  make  fur- 
ther inquiries  in  the  matter ;  and  though,  in  some  re- 
spects, these  were  confirmatory,  yet  I  learned  that  a  con- 


310  MODERN  DIABOLISM.  v 

siderable  portion  of  the  narrative  in  question,  which  had 
been  represented  to  me  as  directly  attested,  was  in  real- 
ity sustained  only  by  second-hand  evidence.  This  cir- 
cumstance, taken  in  connection  with  the  conflicting 
statements  above  referred  to,  places  the  story  outside 
the  rule  of  authentication  to  which  in  these  pages  T 
have  endeavored  scrupulously  to  conform ;  and  I  there- 
fore omit  it  altogether." 

On  examining  a  copy  of  the  first  edition  of  the  work, 
I  find  the  narrative  above  referred  to  is  one  entitled, 
"  Why  a  Livonian  School-teacher  lost  her  Situation ;  " 
which  was  given  Mr.  Owen  by  this  Mile,  de  Gulden- 
stubbe.  It  is  as  wonderful,  and,  had  it  remained  in 
the  work,  would  have  been  as  inexplicable  a  story  as 
this  of  the  chapel.  The  narrator  stated  that  she  was  an 
inmate  of  the  school  in  which  the  events  took  place  at 
the  time  of  their  occurrence ;  and  professed  to  describe 
what  she  had  herself  witnessed.  That  narrative,  there- 
fore, was  more  likely  to  be  correct  than  this  of  the  ceme- 
tery. It  appears  that  some  friend  of  the  school-teacher, 
having  seen  Mr.  Owen's  work,  took  the  trouble  to  ad- 
vise him  of  the  incorrectness  of  the  story  relative  to 
that  lady.  Whether  he  became  satisfied  that  the  story- 
was  incorrect,  or  only  that  the  narrator  had  not  seen 
what  she  professed  to  have  witnessed,  does  not  matter ; 
as  he  thought  proper  to  omit  the  story  for  one  or  both 
of  these  reasons,  he  should,  at  the  same  time,  have  with- 
drawn this  story  of  the  chapel  also,  given  him  by  the 
same  individual. 

It  appears  from  Mr.  Owen's  remarks,  that  the  narra- 
tive relative  to  the  school-teacher  had  some  foundation ; 
and  it  is  altogether  probable  that  this  of  the  chapel  had 


EEVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  811 

also.  In  reference  to  one  point,  Mr.  Owen  says :  "  Fi- 
nally, if  these  disturbances  are  to  be  ascribed  to  trickery, 
why  should  the  tricksters  have  discontinued  their  per- 
secution as  soon  as  the  coffins  were  put  under  ground  ? 
This  last  difficulty,  however,  exists  equally  in  case  we 
adopt  the  spiritual  hypothesis.  If  to  interference  from 
another  world  these  phenomena  were  due,  why  should 
that  interference  have  ceased  from  the  moment  the  cof- 
fins were  buried  ?  " 

The  last  sentence  shows  what  unlimited  power  Mr. 
Owen  supposes  the  "spirits"  to  possess.  "Whether  the 
invisible  beings  operate,  in  similar  cases,  in  the  way  I 
have  described,  or  not,  it  does  not  follow  as  a  necessary 
consequence,  that  if  they  have  power  to  move  coffins 
placed  in  a  vault,  they  must  have  power  to  do  the  same 
when  the  coffins  are  buried  in  the  earth. 

Let  us  suppose  that  these  coffins  were  disturbed  by 
invisible  beings,  in  the  manner  I  have  explained,  when 
some  one  whose  electricity  could  be  used  for  the  pur- 
pose happened  to  be  in  the  chapel,  and  that  the  only 
noises  heard  were  caused  by  the  moving  of  the  coffins ; 
then,  evidently,  these  disturbances  must  cease  when  the 
coffins  were  buried  to  the  depth  of  several  feet  in  the 
earth.  I  do  not,  however,  wish  this  to  be  considered 
as  an  attempt  to  explain  the  narrative ;  for,  after  read- 
ing the  story  of  the  school-teacher,  I  should  consider  an 
attempt  to  explain  a  story  told  by  this  narrator  a  hope- 
less task. 

In  a  fictitious  narrative  there  is  generally  something 
by  which  its  character  may  be  detected.  In  this  case 
we  have  the  unaccountable  terror  of  men  and  horses, 
and  the  death  from  fright  of  three  or  four  of  the  latter. 


312  MODERN   DIABOLISM; 

Now,  animals  cannot  distinguish  between  noises  made 
by  "  spirits,"  and  those  originating  from  any  other  cause. 
Some  horses  are  easily  frightened  by  unusual  noises ; 
and  it  is  possible  there  may  have  been  instances  of 
horses  dying  from  such  a  cause ;  but  I  am  quite  certain 
that  no  one  ever  knew  of  three  or  four  horses  dying  at 
the  same  time  from  fright  Such  an  instance,  I  venture 
to  say,  was  never  known.  And  the  story  appears  still 
more  incredible  from  the  fact  that  there  appears  to  have 
been  no  cause  for  excessive  fright  The  woman,  kneel- 
ing behind  the  chapel,  scarcely  heard  the  noises ;  while 
her  horse,  fastened  outside  of  the  cemetery,  was,  as  rep- 
resented, frightened  almost  to  death;  Notice,  also,  the 
description  of  the  terror  of  men  and  horses  at  the 
funeral.  And,  after  the  services,  it  was  only  a  few, 
"bolder  than  their  neighbors,"  that  dared  descend  to 
the  vault  Now,  this  is  the  only  "narrative  in  the  chap- 
ter in  which  it  is  represented  that  the  spectators  of  the 
occurrences  experienced  such  terror;  and  in  several 
cases  children  were  present  When  the  well-known 
occurrences  in  the  Fox  family  at  Hydesville  took  place, 
two  members  of  the  family,  in  the  house,  were  girls  of 
nine  and  twelve  years  of  age ;  yet  it  does  not  appear 
that  these  girls,  or  any  of  the  family,  felt  any  alarm. 
Almost,  if  not  quite  as  well  known  is  the  account  of 
disturbances  in  the  family  of  which  the  celebrated  John 
Wesley  was  a  member;  from  which  it  appears  that  the 
family  regarded  the  occurrences  simply  as  an  annoy- 
ance, not  as  a  terror.  And  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
account  given  by  Mr.  Owen  of  disturbances  in  the 
family  of  a  Mr.  Moinpesson,  in  which  there  were  also 
children. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  813 

The  story  under  consideration  has  not  the  appearance 
of  a  statement  of  actual  occurrences.  The  terror  of  men 
and  animals ;  the  exemption  of  the  coffins  of  the  saintly 
grandmother  and  the  two  children  from  molestation; 
the  suicidal  hand  that  had  held  the  bloody  razor  raised 
toward  the  ceiling — such  things  occur  only  in  fictions. 

Finally,  as  to  this  branch  of  the  subject,  the  fact  that 
these  physical  manifestations,  as  they  are  called,  have, 
within  the  past  few  years,  been  witnessed  by  thousands, 
•  — who  never  elsewhere  witnessed  anything  of  the  kind — 
in  the  presence  of  certain  individuals  known  as  medi- 
ums, is  very  strong,  if  not  convincing  proof  that  they 
occur  only  in  the  vicinity  of  such  individuals. 

The  next  two  chapters  of  Mr.  Owen's  work  are  on 
"  Apparitions  of  the  Living,"  and  "  Apparitions  of  the 
Dead." 

My  views  upon  this  branch  of  the  subject  will,  I  have 
no  doubt,  be  altogether  unsatisfactory  to  Spiritualists, 
while  most  of  my  readers  will,  probably,  require  no 
argument  to  be  convinced  that  the  apparitions  de- 
scribed were  mostly  hallucination13.  Th-3  only  diffi- 
culty with  the  latter  class  will  be,  to  convince  them 
that  the  apparitions  are  ever  anything  but  hallucina- 
tions or  impositions.  The  phenomena  of  apparitions 
are  the  most  difficult  of  satisfactory  treatment  of  any 
that  I  shall  have  occasion  to  notice.  On  the  one  hand, 
instances  of  apparitions,  other  than  hallucinations,  are, 
for  the  reasons  given  in  a  preceding  chapter,  extremely 
rare.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  when  individuals  of  in- 
tegrity state  positively  that  they  have  seen  "  spirits  " 
as  distinctly  as  they  ever  saw  anything,  how  can  such, 


814  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

statements  be  disproved  ?  The  great  difficulty  in  the 
case  is,  as  I  assume,  that  the  statements  are  exagger- 
ated. I  do  not  assume,  or  admit,  that  it  is  impossible 
for  an  individual,  in  a  sound  state  of  health,  to  dis- 
criminate between  hallucinations  and  actual  vision. 
A  man  of  discrimination,  when  he  experiences  a  hal- 
lucination, perceives  that  it  is  such,  and,  if  he  thinks 
the  fact  worth  mentioning,  will  state  the  occurrence  as 
an  instance  of  the  kind  ;  while  a  female,  experiencing 
the  same,  will  state  in  the  most  positive  terms  that  she  * 
actually  saw  the  object  I  shall  only  attempt  to  show 
that  the  supposition  of  a  "  spirit "  being  seen  in  the 
cases  here  cited  is  an  absurdity ;  that  the  apparitions 
occurred  at  a  time  or  place  favorable  for  hallucinations  ; 
and — which  ought  to  be  to  Spiritualists  a  convincing 
feet — that,  in  the  case  cited  from  another  work,  where 
an  apparition  was  unquestionably  seen  and  felt}  it  re- 
quired months  to  produce  it 

The  following  extract  from  the  chapter  on  appari- 
tions of  the  dead  will  show  that  Mr.  Owen  considers 
apparitions  of  the  living,  and  of  the  dead,  to  be  of  the 
same  character ;  and  that  the  evidence  for  the  one  is  as 
strong  as  that  for  the  other ;  hence,  it  may  be  assumed 
that  if  the  former  doctrine  is  an  absurdity,  there  is  no 
satisfactory  evidence  for  the  latter  : 

"  If,  as  St.  Paul  teaches  and  Swedenborgians  believe, 
there  go  to  make  up  the  personality  of  man  a  natural 
body  and  a  spiritual  body ;  if  these  co-exist  while 
earthly  life  endures,  in  each  one  of  us ;  if,  as  the  apos- 
tle further  intimates  and  the  preceding  chapter  seems 
to  prove,  the  spiritual  body—- a  counterpart,  it  would 
seem,  to  human  sight,  of  the  -natural  body— may,  dur- 


REVIEW  OP  NARRATIVES.  815 

ing  life,  occasionally  detach  itself,  to  some  extent  or 
other  and  for  a  time,  from  the  material  flesh  and  blood 
which  for  a  few  years  it  pervades  in  intimate  associa- 
tion ;  and  if  death  be  but  the  issuing  forth  of  the  spirit- 
ual body  from  its  temporary  associate  ;  then,  at  the  mo- 
ment of  its  exit,  it  is  that  spiritual  body  which  through 
life  may  have  been  occasionally  and  partially  detached 
from  the  natural  body,  and  which  at  last  is  thus  entirely 
and  forever  divorced  from  it,  that  passes  into  another 
state  of  existence. 

"But  if  that  spiritual  body,  while  still  connected 
with  its  earthly  associate,  could,  under  certain  circum- 
stances, appear  distinct  and  distant  from  the  natural 
body,  and  perceptible  to  human  vision,  if  not  to  human 
touch,  what  strong  presumption  is  there  against  the  sup- 
position that  after  its  final  emancipation  the  same  spir- 
itual body  may  still  at  times  show  itself  to  man  ?" 

I  should  say,  that,  granting  the  premises,  there  could 
be  no  presumption  of  the  kind.  It  appears  to  me  very 
strange,  however,  that  Spiritualists  quote  St.  Paul  in 
support  of  their  theories.  If  there  is  anything  clearly 
taught  by  the  writings  of  Paul,  it  must  be  conceded 
that  he  taught  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
body,  as  generally  understood  by  Christians ;  and  if,  as 
Spiritualists  believe,  he  was  mistaken  on  that  point,  he 
was  liable  to  be  mistaken  as  to  the  existence  of  a  spirit- 
ual body. 

In  reference  to  illusions  and  hallucinations,  Mr.  Owen 
makes  the  following  remarks : 

"  An  illusion,  unlike  a  hallucination,  has  a  foundation 
in  reality.  We  actually  see  or  hear  something,  which 
we  mistake  for  something  else.  The  mirage  of  the  Des- 


816  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

ert,  the  Fata  Morgana  of  the  Mediterranean,  are  well- 
known  examples.  ....  There  are  collective  illusions ; 
for  it  is  evident  that  the  same  false  appearance  which 
deceives  the  senses  of  one  man  is  not  unlikely  to  deceive 
those  of  others  also.  .  .  .  But  I  know  of  no  well-authen- 
ticated instance  of  collective  hallucinations.  No  two 
patients  that  I  ever  heard  of  imagined  the  presence  of 
the  same  cat  or  dog  at  the  same  moment. 

"  This  is  a  distinction  of  much  practical  importance. 
If  two  persons  perceive  at  the  same  time  the  same  phe- 
nomenon, we  may  conclude  that  that  phenomenon  is  an 
objective  reality — has,  in  some  phase  or  other,  actual 
existence." 

The  distinction  between  illusions  and  hallucinations 
is  neither  so  broad,  or,  as  bearing  upon  this  subject,  so 
important,  as  Mr.  Owen  appears  to  think.  As  he  cites 
Mrs.  Catherine  Crowe's  "Night  Side  of  Nature,"  I  will 
copy  from  that  work  two  narratives,  in  illustration  of 
this  point : 

"  "During  the  Seven  Years'  "War  in  Germany,  a  drover 
lost  his  life  in  a  drunken  squabble  on  the  high  road. 
For  some  time  there  was  a  sort  of  rude  tombstone,  with 
a  cross  on  it,  to  mark  the  spot  where  his  body  was  in- 
terred ;  but  this  has  long  fallen,  and  a  mile-stone  now 
fills  its  place.  Nevertheless,  it  continues  to  be  com- 
monly asserted  by  the  country  people,  and  also  by  va- 
rious travelers,  that  they  have  been  deluded  in  that  spot 
by  seeing,  as  they  imagine,  herds  of  beasts,  which  on  in- 
vestigation prove  to  be  merely  visionary.  Of  course, 
many  people  look  upon  this  as  a  superstition;  but  a 
very  singular  confirmation  of  the  story  occurred  in  the 
year  1826,  when  two  gentlemen  and  two  ladies  were 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  317 

passing  the  spot  in  a  post  carriage.  One  of  these  was  a 
clergyman,  and  none  of  them  had  ever  heard  of  the  phe- 
nomenon said  to  be  attached  to  the  place.  They  had 
been  discussing  the  prospects  of  the  minister,  who  was 
on  his  way  to  a  vicarage  to  which  he  had  just  been  ap- 
pointed, when  they  saw  a  large  flock  of  sheep,  which 
stretched  quite  across  the  road,  and  was  accompanied 
by  a  shepherd  and  a  long-haired  black  dog.  As  to 
meet  cattle  on  that  road  was  nothing  uncommon,  and 
indeed  they  had  met  several  droves  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  no  remark  was  made  at  the  moment,  till  suddenly 
each  looked  at  the  other  and  said,  '  What  is  become  of 
the  sheep?'  Quite  perplexed  at  their  sudden  disap- 
pearance, they  called  to  the  postilion  to  stop,  and  all 
got  out,  in  order  to  mount  a  little  elevation  and  look 
around,  but  still  unable  to  discover  them,  they  now  be- 
thought themselves  of  asking  the  postilion  where  they 
were ;  when,  to  their  infinite  surprise,  they  learnt  that 
he  had  not  seen  them.  Upon  this,  they  bade  him 
quicken  his  pace,  that  they  might  overtake  a  carriage 
that  had  passed  them  shortly  before,  and  inquire  if  that 
party  had  seen  the  sheep ;  but  they  had  not." 

"  About  the  year  1750,  a  visionary  army  was  seen  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Inverness  by  a  respectable  farmer 
of  Glenary  and  his  son.  The  number  of  troops  was 
very  great,  and  they  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  that 
they  were  otherwise  than  substantial  forms  of  flesh  and 
blood.  They  counted  at  least  sixteen  pairs  of  column*, 
and  had  abundance  of  time  to  observe  every  particular. 
The  front  ranks  marched  seven  abreast,  and  were  accom- 
panied by  a  good  many  women  and  children,  who  were 
carrying  tin  cans  and  other  implements  of  cookery. 


818  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

The  men  were  clothed  in  red,  and  their  arms  shone 
brightly  in  the  sun.  In  the  midst  of  them  was  an  ani- 
mal, a  deer,  or  a  hcrse,  they  could  not  distinguish  which, 
that  they  were  driving  furiously  forward  with  their  bayo- 
nets. The  younger  of  the  two  men  observed  to  the 
other,  that  every  now  and  then  the  rear  ranks  were 
obliged  to  run  to  overtake  the  van ;  and  the  elder  one, 
who  had  been  a  soldier,  remarked  that  that  was  always 
the  case,  and  recommended  him,  if  he  ever  served,  to 
try  and  march  in  the  front  There  was  only  one 
mounted  officer ;  he  rode  a  gray  dragoon  horse,  and  wore 
a  gold-laced  hat,  and  blue  Hussar  cloak,  with  wide  open 
sleeves  lined  with  red.  The  two  spectators  observed 
him  so  particularly,  that  they  said  afterward  they 
should  recognize  him  anywhere,  They  were,  however, 
afraid  of  being  ill-treated,  or  forced  to  go  along  with 
the  troops,  whom  they  concluded  had  come  from  Ire- 
land, and  landed  at  Kyntyre;  and  while  they  were 
climbing  over  a  dyke  to  get  out  of  their  way,  the  whole 
thing  vanished." 

It  is  a  peculiarity  of  Mrs.  Crowe  that  she  seldom 
gives  her  authority  for  the  narrative ;  but  these  have 
the  appearance  of  being  genuine.  Whether  they  are 
correct  or  not,  there  are  well-authenticated  instances  of 
similar  occurrences.  Let  us  assume,  then,  that  these 
are  substantially  correct:  that  the  accounts  are  exag- 
gerated is  altogether  probable. 

In  the  first  case,  four  persons  think  they  see,  at  the 
same  time,  a  flock  of  sheep,  a  shepherd,  and  a  black 
dog,  neither  of  which  have  existence.  I  presume  the 
ground  taken  by  Mr.  Owen  would  be,  that  there  was 
some  "objective  reality"  which  caused  the  illusion. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  819 

Let  this  be  admitted,  for  such  was  probably  the  fact. 
The  most  probable  hypothesis  that  occurs  to  me  is,  that 
clouds,  seen  through  the  small  window  of  the  carriage,  in  a 
hilly  country,  in  connection  with  impressions  left  on 
the  minds  of  the  party  of  flocks  they  had  actually 
passed,  were  the  exciting  cause.  Still,  their  illusions 
would  not  have  so  completely  coincided  unless  the 
minds  of  the  parly  had,  to  some  extent,  operated  upon 
each  other.  Let  it  be  admitted  that  they  did  not  all 
think,  at  the  time,  that  they  saw  the  shepherd  and  dog, 
and  that  it  was  only  after  subsequent  conversation  they 
imagined  their  perceptions-  corresponded  so  minutely ; 
even  then,  the  occurrence  cannot  be  explained  except 
upon  the  hypothesis  of  one  mind  influencing  another. 
The  party  had  been  for  some  time  in  the  same  carriage, 
engaged  in  conversation,  and  had,  probably,  become 
more  or  less  en  rapport. 

In  the  second  case,  it  may  be  presumed  that  the 
father  and  son  were,  to  some  extent,  en  rapport;  and 
an  image  of  what  the  former  had,  probably,  actually 
witnessed,  having  been  a  soldier,  being  from  some 
cause  produced  in  his  mind,  was,  by  his  influence, 
aided  by  the  original  cause,  reproduced  in  the  mind  pf 
the  son.  Whether  the  visions  were  or  were  not  as  vivid 
as  represented,  is  not  material 

But  it  does  not  matter  how  these  delusions  were 
caused ;  nor  whether  they  are  called  illusions  or  hallu- 
cinations. All  I  wish  to  show  is,  that  several  persons, 
at  the  same  time,  think  they  see  the  same  object,  when 
there  is  nothing  at  all  resembling  the  object  within  their 
range  of  vision. 

In  reference  to  the  position  taken,  that  there  can  be 


820  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

no  collective  hallucinations,  Mr.  Owen  says :  "  The  re- 
sults of  what  have  been  usually  called  electro-biological 
experiments  cannot  with  any  propriety  be  adduced  in 
confutation  of  this  position.  The  biologized  patient 
knowingly  and  voluntarily  subjects  himself  to  an  arti- 
ficial influence,  of  which  the  temporary  effect  is  to  pro- 
duce false  sensations ;  just  as  the  eater  of  hasheesh,  or 
the  chewer  of  opium,  conjures  up  the  phantasmagoria 
of  a  partial  insanity,  or  the  confirmed  drunkard  exposes 
himself  to  the  terrible  delusions  of  delirium  tremens. 
But  all  these  sufferers  know,  when  the  fit  has  passed, 
that  there  was  nothing  of  reality  in  the  imaginations 
that  overcame  them." 

There  is  no  parallel  in  the  cases  cited.  The  delu- 
sions of  several  persons,  under  the  effects,  at  the  same 
time,  of  either  of  the  drugs  named,  would  not  coincide. 
And  the  biologized  patient  is  not  given  anything,  either 
to  eat  or  drink,  in  order  that  the  hallucinations  may  be 
produced ;  he  simply  assumes  a  passive  state  of  mind ; 
and  the  effect  is  produced,  solely,  by  the  will  of  the 
operator  acting  upon  his  own  will.  The  results  of  such 
experiments  prove  that,  under  favorable  conditions,  the 
will  of  one  person  can  produce,  at  the  same  time,  in 
the  minds  of  half  a  dozen  others,  coinciding  hallucina- 
tions. The  phenomena  of  electro-biology,  mesmerism, 
and  the  involuntary  action  of  one  mind  upon  another, 
are  all  of  the  same  character. 

The  biologized"  patients  know,  when  the  experiments 
are  over,  that  there  was  nothing  of  reality  in  what  they 
thought  they  saw,  because  they  are  told,  in  the  first 
place,  the  nature  of  the  experiments.  But  let  us  sup- 
pose that — having  never  learned  the  nature  of  the  ex- 


EEVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  821 

periments — they  are  told  that  the  operator  can  open 
their  "interior  perception,"  or  "spiritual  vision,"  so  that 
they  will  be  able  to  perceive  spirits,  and  things  invisible 
to  them  in  their  normal  condition :  can  any  one  doubt 
that  some  of  them,  at  least,  would  continue  in  the  belief, 
after  the  conclusion  of  the  experiments,  that  they  had 
really  perceived  the  objects? 

Mr.  Owen  maintains  that,  while  the  fact  that  two  or 
more  persons  perceive  at  the  same  time  the  same  object 
is  evidence  that  it  is  not  a  case  of  hallucination,  it  does 
not  follow  that  if  only  one  person  among  many  present 
perceives — or  thinks  he  does — an  object,  it  is  a  halluci- 
nation, f 

"  There  is  nothing,  then,  absurd  or  illogical  in  the 
supposition  that  some  persons  may  have  true  percep- 
tions of  which  we  are  unconscious.  We  may  not  be 
able  to  comprehend  how  they  receive  these ;  but  our 
ignorance  of  the  mode  of  action  does  not  disprove  the 
reality  of  the  effect  I  know  an  English  gentleman 
who,  if  a  cat  had  been  secreted  in  a  room  where  he  was, 
invariably  and  infallibly  detected  her  presence.  How 
he  perceived  this,  except  by  a  general  feeling  of  un- 
easiness, he  could  never  explain  ;  yet  the  fact  was  cer- 
tain." 

Admitting  the  fact  to  be  certain,  it  does  not  support 
Mr.  Owen's  position.  The  gentleman  did  not  see  the 
cat,  nor  even  think  he  saw  it  He  could  not  describe 
its  appearance :  could  not  even  tell  whether  it  was  white 
or  black.  The  cat  produced  in  him  a  "  feeling  of  unea- 
siness ;  "  that  was  all.  A  dog  can  detect  the  presence 
of  an  animal  without  seeing  it  But  how  do  such  ex- 
amples prove  that  there  are  individuals  who  can  see  spir- 


822  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

its  ?  for  that  is  the  point  in  dispute.  If  it  was  only  con- 
tended that  there  were  individuals  who  were  sensible 
of  the  presence  of  what  are  called  spirits,  when  others 
are  not,  the  point  would  not  be  disputed  by  me,  for  that 
is  my  belief.  What  I  assert  is,  that  no  one  of  our  world 
can  see  (or  perceive,  if  the  latter  word  is  preferred)  the 
form  and  color  of  beings  of  the  invisible  world. 

I  will  now  copy,  from  the  two  chapters  upon  this 
branch  of  the  subject,  a  few  narratives  which  Mr.  Owen 
thinks  confirm  his  views. 

"Apparition  in  Ireland." 

In  the  summer,  of  1802,  a  clergyman  of  the  Estab- 
lished Church,  living  in  Ireland,  was  invited  by  the 
bishop  to  dinner.  He  accepted  the  invitation,  leaving 
his  wife,  quite  unwell,  at  home.  Returning  from  the 
bishop's  about  ten  o'clock,  the  clergyman  approached 
his  own  residence  through  the  garden  attached  to  it. 

"  It  was  bright  moonlight.  On  issuing  from  a  small 
belt  of  shrubbery  into  a  garden  walk,  he  perceived,  as 
he  thought,  in  another  walk,  parallel  to  that  in  which 
he  was,  and  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  him, 
the  figure  of  his  wife,  in  her  usnal  dress.  Exceedingly 
astonished,  he  crossed  over  and  confronted  her.  It  was 
his  wife.  At  least,  he  distinguished  her  features,  in  the 
clear  moonlight,  as  plainly  as  he  had  ever  done  in  his 
life.  '  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  '  he  asked.  She  did 
not  reply,  but  receded  from  him,  turning  to  the  right, 
toward  a  kitchen-garden  that  lay  on  one  side  of  the 
house.  In  it  there  were  several  rows  of  peas,  staked 
and  well  grown,  so  as  to  shelter  any  person  passing  be- 
hind them.  The  figure  passed  round  one  end  of  these. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  32$ 

Mr. followed  quickly,  in  increased  astonishment, 

mingled  with  alarm ;  but  when  he  reached  the  open 
space  beyond  the  peas  the  figure  was  nowhere  to  be 
seen.  As  there  was  no  spot  where,  in  so  short  a  time, 
it  could  have  sought  concealment,  the  husband  con- 
cluded that  it  was  an  apparition,  and  not  his  wife,  that 
he  had  seen.  He  returned  to  the  front  door  and,  in- 
stead of  availing  himself  of  his  pass-key  as  usual,  he 
rung  the  bell.  While  on  the  steps,  before  the  bell  was 
answered,  looking  round,  he  saw  the  same  figure  at  the 
corner  of  the  house.  When  the  servant  opened  the 
door,  he  asked  him  how  his  mistress  was.  '  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  sir,'  answered  the  man,  '  she  is  not  so  well.  Dr. 

Osborne  has  been  sent  for.'  Mr. hurried  up-stairs, 

found  his  wife  in  bed  and  much  worse,  attended  by  the 
nurse,  who  had  not  left  her  all  the  evening.  From  that 
time  she  gradually  sank,  and  within  twelve  hours  there- 
after expired." 

This  was  communicated  to  Mr.  Owen  by  a  son  of  the 
clergyman,  in  the  year  1859. 

Now,  which  is  the  most  probable — admitting  the  ex- 
istence of  a  spiritual  body — that  the  whole  was  a  hal- 
lucination, or,  that  the  spirit  of  the  wife,  in  her  usual 
dress,  was  dodging  around  the  peas,  and  the  corner  of 
the  house,  while  the  wife  in  bed  was  not  aware  that  her 
spirit  was  absent  f  I  think  that  an  unusual  quantity  of 
wine  drank  at  the  bishop's  dinner  will  account  for  this 
apparition,  and  also  for  the  fact  that  the  clergyman  did 
not  avail  himself  of  his  pass-key,  as  usual 

"  Sight  and  Sound." 
" During  the  winter  of  1839-40,  Dr.  J E 


824  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

was  residing  with  his  aunt,  Mrs.  L ,  in  a  house  on 

Fourteenth  street,  near  New  York  avenue,  in  the  city 
of  Washington.  Ascending  one  day  from  the  basement 
of  the  house  to  the  parlor,  he  saw  his  aunt  descending 
the  stairs.  He  stepped  back  to  let  her  pass,  which  she 
did,  close  to  him,  but  without  speaking.  He  instantly 
ascended  the  stairs  and  entered  the  parlor,  where  he 
found  his  aunt  sitting  quietly  by  the  side  of  the  fire. 
The  distance  from  where  he  first  saw  the  figure  to  the 
spot  where  his  aunt  was  actually  sitting  was  between 
thirty  and  forty  feet  The  figure  seemed  dressed  ex- 
actly as  his  aunt  was ;  and  he  distinctly  heard  the  rus- 
tle of  her  dress  as  she  passed." 

"  The  above  was  related  to  me  by  Dr.  E him- 
self, in  Washington,  on  the  5th  of  July,  1859  ;  and  the 
MS.  was  submitted  to  him  for  revision." 

In  this  case,  Mr.  Owen  says,  "if  it  be  one  of  halluci- 
nation, two  senses  were  deceived." 

There  is  nothing  more  natural,  or  common,  than  that 
a  hallucination  of  sight  should  produce  a  hallucination 
of  hearing.  If  Dr.  E thought  he  saw  his  aunt  de- 
scending the  stairs,  he  would  be  quite  likely  to  think 
that  he  heard  the  rustle  of  her  dress. 

Look  at  the  absurdity  of  the  spiritual  hypothesis : 

The  spiritual  body  of  Mrs.  L is  supposed  to  leave 

her  natural  body,  and  to  procure  a  dress  exactly  like 
that  worn  by  the  natural  body,  and  so  substantial  that 

its  rustle  can  be  heard ;  and  yet,  the  Mrs.  L sitting 

by  the  fire  knows  nothing  of  the  transaction.  For 
the  time  being,  then,  there  must  have  been  two  Mrs. 

In  defining  hallucinations,  Mr.  Owen  says:  "I  knew 


EEVIEW   OP  NARRATIVES.  825 

well  a  lady  who,  more  than  once,  distinctly  saw  feet 
ascending  stairs  before  her.  Yet  neither  her  physician 
nor  she  herself  ever  regarded  this  apparent  marvel  in 
other  light  than  as  an  optical  vagary  dependent  on  her 
state  of  health." 

This  he  considers  an  instance  of  hallucination,  be- 
cause the  lady  so  considered  it  But  where  is  the  dif- 
ference between  this  case,  and  those  of  Dr.  E and 

the  clergyman  ?  The  only  difference,  as  I  have  before 
remarked,  in  all  such  cases  is,  that  one  person  has  the 
sense  to  perceive  that  it  is  a  hallucination,  and  another 
has  not.  I  consider  it  unnecessary  to  notice  any  more 
narratives  precisely  resembling  these  two. 

"Apparition  of  the  Living,  seen  by  Mother  and  Daughter.11 

"  In  the  month  of  May  and  in  the  year  1840,  Dr. 

D ,  a  noted  physician  of  Washington,  was  residing 

with  his  wife  and  his  daughter  Sarah  (now  Mrs.  B ) 

at  their  country-seat,  near  Piney  Point,  in  Virginia,  a 
fashionable  pleasure-resort  during  the  summer  months. 
One  afternoon,  about  five  o'clock,  the  two  ladies  were 
walking  out  in  a  copse- wood  not  far  from  their  resi- 
dence ;  when,  at  a  distance  on  the  road,  coming  toward 

them,  they  saw  a  gentleman.     '  Sally,'  said  Mrs.  D , 

1  there  comes  your  father  to  meet  us.'  :  I  think  not,' 
the  daughter  replied ;  '  that  cannot  be  papa :  it  is  not 
so  tall  as  he.'  As  he  neared  them,  the  daughter's 
opinion  was  confirmed.  They  perceived  that  it  was 

not  Dr.  D ,  but  a  Mr.  Thompson,  a  gentleman  with 

whom  they  were  well  acquainted,  and  who  was  at  that 
time,  though  they  then  knew  it  not,  a  patient  of  Dr. 
They  observed  also,  as  he  came  nearer,  that 


326  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

he  was  dressed  in  a  blue  frock-coat,  black  satin  waist- 
coat, and  black  pantaloons  and  hat.  Also,  on  compar- 
ing notes  afterward,  both  ladies,  it  appeared,  had  noticed 
that  his  linen  was  particularly  fine,  and  that  his  whole 
apparel  seemed  to  have  been  very  carefully  adjusted. 
He  came  up  so  close  that  they  were  on  the  very  point 
of  addressing  him  ;  but  at  that  moment  he  stepped 
aside,  as  if  to  let  them  pass  ;  and  then,  even  while  the 
eyes  of  both  the  ladies  were  upon  him,  he  suddenly  and 
entirely  disappeared." 

The  ladies  afterward  learned  from  Dr.  I> that 

Mr.  Thompson  had  been  confined  to  his  room  during 
the  entire  day.  The  narrative  was  communicated  to 
Mr.  Owen  by  Mrs.  D in  the  year  1859. 

"How  strong  in  this  case,"  Mr.  Owen  remarks,  "is 
the  presumptive  evidence  against  hallucination  !  Even 
setting  aside  the  received  doctrine  of  the  books,  that 
there  is  no  collective  hallucination,  how  can  we  imagine 
that  there  should  be  produced,  at  the  very  same  mo- 
ment, without  suggestion  or  expectation,  or  unusual  ex- 
citement of  any  kind,  on  the  brain  of  two  different  per- 
sons, a  perception  of  the  self-same  image,  minutely  de- 
tailed, without  any  external  object  to  produce  it?  Was 
that  image  imprinted  on  the  retina  in  the  case  both  of 
mother  and  daughter  ?  How  could  this  be  if  there  was 
nothing  existing  in  the  outside  world  to  imprint  it? 
Or  was  there  no  image  on  the  retina  ?  Was  it  a  purely 
subjective  impression  ;  that  is,  a  false  perception,  due  to 
disease  ?  But  among  the  millions  of  impressions  which 
may  be  produced,  if  imagination  only  is  the  creative 
agent,  how  infinite  the  probabilities  against  the  contin- 
gency that,  out  of  these  millions,  this  one  especial  ob- 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  827 

ject  should  present  itself  in  two  independent  cases  ! — 
not  only  a  particular  person,  dressed  in  a  particular 
manner,  but  that  person  advancing  along  a  road,  ap- 
proaching within  a  few  steps  of  the  observers,  and  then 
disappearing !  Yet  even  this  is  not  the  limit  of  the  ad- 
verse chanc'.s.  There  is  not  only  identity  of  object,  but 
exact  coincidence  of  tima  The  two  perceive  the  very 
same  thing  at  the  very  same  moment ;  and  this  coinci- 
dence continues  throughout  several  minutes. 

"What  is  the  natural  and  necessary  conclusion? 
That  there  was  an  image  produced  on  the  retina,  and 
that  there  was  an  objective  reality  there  to  produce  it 

"  It  may  seem  marvelous,  it  may  appear  hard  to  be- 
lieve, that  the  appearance  of  a  human  being,  in  his  usual 
dress,  should  present  itself  where  that  human  being  is 
not  It  would  be  a  thing  a  thousand  times  more  mar- 
velous, ten  thousand  times  harder  to  believe,  that  the 
fortuitous  action  of  disease,  freely  ranging  throughout 
the  infinite  variety  of  contingent  possibilities,  should 
produce,  by  mere  chance,  a  mass  of  coincidences  such 
as  make  up,  in  this  case,  the  concurrent  and  cotempora- 
neous  sensations  of  mother  and  daughter." 

I  am  not  aware  that  it  is  a  "  received  doctrine  of  the 
books  "  that  there  are  no  collective  hallucinations.  Mr. 
Owen  himself  quotes  several  writers  who  appear  to  have 
different  opinions.  I  copy  the  following  mainly  for  the 
purpose  of  showing,  if  the  reader  can  understand  it,  Mr. 
Owen's  ideas  upon  the  point : 

"  De  Boismont  reminds  us  that  considerable  assem- 
blages of  men  have  been  the  dupes  of  the  same  illusions. 
'  A  cry,'  he  says,  '  suffices  to  affright  a  multitude.  An 
individual  who  thinks  he  sees  something  supernatural, 


828  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

soon  causes  others,  as  little  enlightened  as  he,  to  share 
his  conviction.'  As  to  illusions,  both  optical  and  oral, 
this  is  undoubtedly  true ;  more  especially  when  these 
present  themselves  in  times  of  excitement— as  during  a 
battle  or  a  plague — or  when  they  are  generated  in  twi- 
light gloom  or  midnight  darkness.  But  that  the  con- 
tagion of  example,  or  the  belief  of  one  individual  under 
the  actual  influence  of  hallucination,  suffices  to  produce, 
in  others  around,  disease  of  the  retina  or  of  the  optic  or 
auditory  nerve,  or,  in  short,  any  abnormal  condition  of 
the  senses,  is  a  supposition  which,  so  far  as  my  reading 
extends,  is  unsupported  by  any  reliable  proof  whatever." 
That  is,  in  short,  in  times  of  excitement,  in  twilight 
gloom  or  midnight  darkness,  an  individual  may  cause 
others  to  share  his  illusions;  but  an  individual  under 
the  influence  of  hallucination  cannot  produce  in  others 
disease  of  the  retina  or  optic  nerve.  I  presume  that 
neither  of  these  assertions  will  be  disputed  by  any  one. 
How  the  facts  support  Mr.  Owen's  theory,  however,  I 
do  not  perceive ;  unless  it  is  assumed  that  a  hallucina- 
tion is  always  produced  by  disease  of  the  eye  or  optic 
nerve,  while  an  illusion  is  not  Such  a  supposition 
would  be  extremely  absurd.  It  would  make  necessary 
the  assumption  that  in  biological  experiments  the  op- 
erator always  produces  such  disease  in  the  subject — the 
disease  changing  as  often  as  the  operator,  by  his  will, 
produces  a  change  of  hallucination ;  while  in  illusions, 
although,  in  the  cases  supposed  by  Mr.  Owen,  the  opera- 
tor produces  precisely  the  same  effect,  there  is  no  dis- 
ease of  the  kind.  I  am  here  supposing  the 'distinction 
between  illusions  and  hallucinations  to  be,  that  in  the 
former  case  something-is  actually  seen,  while  in  the  latter 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  329 

there  is  no  "objective  reality."  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
however,  this  distinction  must  in  some  cases  be  a  very 
fine  one;  for  example,  where  the  object  actually  seen 
lias  not  the  slightest  resemblance  to  what  is  supposed  to 
be  seen. 

I  deny  that  what  are  properly  called  hallucinations 
are  always  produced  by  disease  of  the  organs  of  sight. 
So  far  as  regards  the  narrative  under  notice,  however, 
it  makes  no  difference  whether  the  occurrence  is  called 
a  hallucination  or  an  illusion,  for  it  is  probable  that 
something  was  seen.  As  Mr.  Owen  admits  that,  under 
favorable  circumstances,  one  individual  may  cause 
others  to  share  his  illusions,  let  us  call  the  occurrence 
by  the  latter  name. 

Assuming  the  narrative  to  be  substantially  correct, 
the  following,  I  think,  is  the  true  explanation:  The 
ladies  were  walking  in  a  copse-wood — a  place  favorable 
for  illusions.  Persons  unaccustomed  to  walking  in 
woods  are  very  liable  to  be  the  victims  of  illusions.  A 
shadow,  a  stump,  or  the  body  of  a  tree,  is  mistaken  for 
a  human  being — the  motion  of  the  observer  giving  the 
object  the  appearance  of  motion.  The  ladies  were 
'mother  and  daughter,  and,  consequently,  there  was 
an-  affinity  existing  between  them.  Some  object  was 
seen  which  was  mistaken  for  a  man  approaching  them. 
Whether  the  daughter  thought  it  was  a  man  before  the 
mother  called  her  attention  to  it,  cannot  be  determined 
from  the  narrative ;  at  all  events,  she  then  shared  the 
illusion  of  the  mother ;  but,  while  the  mother  thought 
it  was  her  husband,  the  daughter  thought  it  was  a  taller 
man.  The  probability  is  that  the  latter  at  once  thought 
of  the  acquaintance  Thompson.  However  this  may 


830  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

have  been,  one  or  the  other  suggested  that  it  was  Mr 
Thompson,  and  then  their  illusions  coincided  and  be- 
came very  strong.  The  coincidence  of  their  illusions  as 
to  dress  followed  as  a  matter  of  course ;  the  appearance 
being,  undoubtedly,  such  as  they  had  seen  him  wear. 
When  the  illusion  vanished — probably  in  consequence 
of  their  approach  to  the  object — the  ladies  commenced 
"comparing  notes;"  and  they  continued  afterward 
comparing  notes,  and  talking  of  the  subject,  until  the 
story  assumed  a  character  somewhat  marvelous.  On 
the  latter  point  I  would  remark,  and  I  speak  advisedly, 
not  one  woman  in  t  'n  thousand  could  give  an  unexag- 
gerated  account  of  such  an  occurrence.  But  the  account 
does  not  show  that  the  coincidence  lasted  "  several  min- 
utes," as  Mr.  Owen  states ;  nor  even  that  it  lasted  one 
minute. 

It  is  not  easy  to  understand  Mr.  Owen's  views  regard- 
ing illusions  and  hallucinations.  He  seems  to  believe 
that  a  "spirit"  can  produce  the  latter  in  an  individual 
of  our  world.  The  dream  narrated  under  the  heading 
of  "  The  Negro  Servant "  was  caused,  as  he  evidently 
believes,  by  a  being  of  the  invisible  world ;  and  it  is 
stated  that  the  dreamer  "was  astonished,  on  entering  her' 
mother's  house,  to  meet  the  very  black  servant  whom 
she  had  seen  in  her  dream,  as  he  had  been  engaged  dur- 
ing her  absence."  Now,  if  the  lady  was  made  to  per- 
ceive the  servant  by  a  "  spirit,"  as  supposed,  there  is  but 
one  mode  by  which  this  could  be  effected,  namely,  by 
the  "spirit"  first  forming  the  image  in  his,  or  her,  own 
mind,  and  reproducing  the  same  in  the  mind  of  the 
lady.  And  there  is  no  ground  for  the  assumption,  that 
the  power  of  an  individual  of  our  world,  in  this  respect, 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  881 

is  not  of  the  same  kind  (though  it  may  be  less  in  degree) 
as  that  of  an  inhabitant  of  the  invisible  world.  It  is 
true,  that  in  the  one  case  the  lady  was  asleep,  while  in 
the  other  both  ladies  were  awake.  But  here,  again, 
there  is  no  ground  for  assuming  that  the  power  of  one 
mind  over  another  in  the  two  cases  differs  in  kind,  al- 
though it  undoubtedly  does  in  degree. 

The  fact  that  such  occurrences  (two  or  more,  think- 
ing they  see  the  same  object  at  the  same  time)  are  un- 
usual, instead  of  supporting  the  spiritual  hypothesis,  is 
very  strong  evidence  that  they  are  hallucinations  or  illu- 
sions. If,  as  Mr.  Owen  insists,  "  there  was  an  image 
produced  on  the  retina,  and  there  was  an  objective  real- 
ity there  to  produce  it " — the  objective  reality  being  as- 
sumed to  be  the  spirit  of  Thompson — why  should  it  be 
an  unusual  event  for  two  or  more  persons  to  see  a  spirit 
at  the  same  time  ?  Why  are  they  not  seen  in  the  streets 
of  New  York  and  London  by  hundreds  of  individuals 
on  the  same  day  ? 

Let  us  look  again  at  the  absurdity  of  the  spiritual 
hypothesis  as  applied  to  such  a  case.  The  fact  will  not 
be  disputed,  that  the  same  individual  cannot  be  in  two 
places  at  the  same  time.  Then,  admitting  that  there 
was,  at  the  time,  a  Mr.  Thompson  walking  in  the  copse- 
wood,  it  certainly  was  not  the  Thompson  that  was  in 
his  room  at  the  time.  The  Thompson  walking  in  the 
copse-wood  may  have  resembled  the  other  Thompson ; 
he  may  have  been  "  dressed  in  a  blue  frock-coat,  black 
satin  waistcoat,  and  black  pantaloons  and  hat;"  his 
linen  may  have  been  "  particularly  fine ;  "  and,  in  short, 
his  whole  apparel  may  have  been  "very  carefully  ad- 
justed," so  as  to  resemble  that  of  the  other  Thompson ; 


332  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

but,  after  all,  it  could  not  have  been  the  other  Thompson ; 
nor  could  one  Thompson  be  responsible,  either  legally 
or  morally,  for  the  actions  of  the  other.  The  subject 
of  dress  is  one  which  Spiritualists  always  evade;  but  I 
can  conceive  of  no  reason  why  the  spiritual  Thompson 
should  dress  precisely  as  the  other  Thompson  dressed  ; 
nor,  in  fact,  why  spirits  should  at  all  consult  the  fashion 
of  our  world  as  to  dress. 

"  The  Two  Sisters." 

"In  the  month  of  October,  1833,  Mr.  C ,  a  gentle- 
man, several  members  of  whose  family  have  since  be- 
come well  and  favorably  known  in  the  literary  world, 
was  residing  in  a  country-house,  in  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio.  He  had  just  completed  a  new  residence,  about 
seventy  or  eighty  yards  from  that  in  which  he  was  then 
living,  intending  to  move  into  it  in  a  few  days.  The 
new  house  was  in  plain  sight  of  the  old,  no  tree  or  shrub 
intervening ;  but  they  were  separated,  about  half-way, 
by  a  small,  somewhat  abrupt  ravine.  A  garden, 
stretched  from  the  old  house  to  the  hither  edge  of  this 
ravine,  and  the  farther  extremity  of  this  garden  was 
about  forty  yards  from  the  newly  erected  building. 
Both  buildings  fronted  west,  toward  a  public  road,  the 
south  side  of  the  old  dwelling  being  directly  opposite 
to  the  north  side  of  the  new.  Attached  to  the  rear  of 
the  new  dwelling  was  a  spacious  kitchen,  of  which  a 
door  opened  to  the  north, 

"  The  family,  at  that  time,  consisted  of  father,  mother, 
uncle,  and  nine  children.  One  of  the  elder  daughters, 
then  between  fifteen  and  sixteen  years  old,  was  named 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATTVE&  883 

Bhoda ;  and  another,  the  youngest  but  one,  Lucy,  was 
between  three  and  four  years  of  age. 

"One  afternoon  in  that  month  of  October,  after  a 
heavy  rain,  the  weather  had  cleared  up ;  and  between 
four  and  five  o'clock  the  sun  shone  out  About  five 

o'clock  Mrs.  C stepped  out  into  a  yard  on  the  south 

side  of  the  dwelling  they  were  occupying,  whence,  in 
the  evening  sun,  the  new  house,  including  the  kitchen 
already  referred  to,  was  distinctly  visible.  Suddenly 

she  called  a  daughter,  A ,  saying  to  her,  '  What  can 

Bhoda  possibly  be  doing  there,  with  the  child  in  her 
arms?  She  ought  to  know  better,  this  damp  weather.' 

A ,  looking  in  the  direction  in  which  her  mother 

pointed,  saw,  plainly  and  unmistakably,  seated  in  a 
rocking-chair  just  within  the  kitchen  door  of  the  new 
residence,  Ehoda,  with  Lucy  in  her  arms.  '  What  a 
strange  thing ! '  she  exclaimed :  '  it  is  but  a  few  minutes 
since  I  left  them  up-stairs.'  And,  with  that,  going  in 
search  of  them,  she  found  both  in  one  of  the  upper 

rooms,  and  brought  them  down.  Mr.  C and  other 

members  of  the  family  soon  joined  them.  Their  amaze- 
ment— that  of  Bhoda  especially — may  be  imagined. 
The  figures  seated  at  the  hall-door,  and  the  two  children 
now  actually  in  their  midst,  were  absolutely  identical 
in  appearance,  even  to  each  minute  particular  of  dress. 

"  Five  minutes  more  elapsed,  in  breathless  expecta- 
tion, and  there  still  sat  the  *figures  ;  that  of  Bhoda  ap- 
pearing to  rock  with  the  motion  of  the  chair  on  which 
it  seemed  seated.  All  the  family  congregated,  and 
every  member  of  it — therefore  twelve  persons  in  all — 
saw  the  figures,  noticed  the  rocking  motion,  and  became 


884  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

convinced,  past  all  possible  doubt,  that  it  was  the  ap- 
pearance of  Rhoda  and  Lucy. 

"  Then  the  father,  Mr.  C ,  resolved  to  cross  over 

and  endeavor  to  obtain  some  solution  of  the  mystery ; 
but,  having  lost  sight  of  the  figures  in  descending  the 
ravine,  when  he  ascended  the  opposite  bank  they  were 
gone, 

"  Meanwhile  the  daughter  A had  walked  down 

to  the  lower  end  of  the  garden,  so  as  to  get  a  closer 
view  ;  and  the  rest  remained  gazing  from  the  spot  whence 
they  had  first  witnessed  this  unaccountable  phenomenon. 

Soon  after  Mr.  C had  left  the  house,  they  all  saw 

the  appearance  of  Rhoda  rise  from  the  chair  with  the 
child  in  its  arms,  then  lie  down  across  the  threshold  of 
the  kitchen  door  ;  and,  after  it  had  remained  in  that  re- 
cumbent position  for  a  minute  or  two,  still  embracing 
the  child,  the  figures  were  seen  gradually  to  sink  down 

out  of  sight  When  Mr.  C reached  the  entrance  there 

was  not  a  trace  nor  appearance  of  a  human  being." 

This  narrative  was  communicated  to  Mr.  Owen  by 
two  of  the  daughters  in  the  year  1860. 

Twenty -seven  years  had  elapsed,  then,  between  the  oc- 
currence and  the  time  when  the  account  was  given ;  and, 
as  it  is  stated  that  one  of  the  eldest  daughters  was,  at 
the  time,  between  fifteen  and  sixteen  years  old,  the  two 
from  whom  Mr.  Owen  received  the  account  must  have 
been  quite  young  when  the* events  took  place.  Assum- 
ing the  narrative  to  be  substantially  correct,  I  can  only 
explain  it  upon  the  supposition  that  the  setting  sun, 
shining  out  after  the  rain,  produced  in  some  way  the 
illusion.  It  will  be  observed  that  all  the  members  of 
the  ;family,  with  the  exception  of  the  mother,  were  told 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  335 

what  the  appearance  was  before  they  perceived  the  like- 
nesses. Instances  of  illusions  like  this  are  too  common 
to  need  explanation.  Mr.  Owen  himself  admits  that 
such  illusions  do  occur. 

If  it  is  possible  that  Ehoda  and  Lucy  were  actually 
looking  at  their  own  "spirits,"  and  not  aware  that  their 
spirits  were  absent  from  their  "  natural "  bodies,  nor 
sensible  of  their  return,  then,  the  spirits  were  separate 
and  distinct  beings.  It  is  admitted  by  the  most  intel- 
ligent class  of  Spiritualists  that  the  only  benefit  Spirit- 
ualism has,  as  yet,  conferred  upon  mankind  is,  that  it 
has  confirmed  our  belief  in  immortality.  But  what  is 
this  immortality,  if  these  appearances  were  the  spirits 
of  the  two  daughters  ?  There  is,  existing  within  me, 
according  to  this  doctrine,  a  being  that-  will  continue  to 
live  after  my  death.  But  it  is  not  me,  it  is  not  the  indi- 
vidual who  is  writing  these  lines,  that  will  continue  to 
exist  The  immortal  being  may  be,  at  this  moment, 
off  on  an  excursion,  taking  a  walk,  perhaps,  in  some 
copse-wood,  while  I  am  trying  to  prove  that  he  has  no 
existence.  But  whether  he  has,  or  has  not,  an  exist- 
ence, is  a  matter  of  no  particular  moment  to  me. 

"  The  Dying  Mother  and  her  Bale,'" 

A  lady  residing  in  Cambridgeshire,  England,  being 
ill,  went  to  London  for  medical  advice,  leaving  a  child 
at  home.  The  mother  became  worse,  and  was  unable 
to  return.  In  the  mean  time  the  child  sickened  and 
died.  A  young  lady,  staying  in  the  house,  who,  it  is 
stated,  had  from  infancy  been  accustomed  to  the  occa- 
sional sight  of  apparitions,  went  alone  into  the  room 


336  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

where  the  body  of  the  infant  lay  in  its  coffin,  and  there 
saw,  reclining  on  a  sofa  near  the  coffin,  the  appearance 
of  the  mother. 

On  account  of  her  critical  condition,  the  mother  had 
not  been  advised  of  the  death  of  the  child ;  but,  reviving 
as  from  a  swoon  about  the  time  of  the  appearance  to 
the  young  lady,  as  was  afterward  ascertained,  she  asked 
her  husband  why  she  had  not  been  informed  of  the 
death,  and  said :  "  It  is  useless  to  deny  it,  Samuel,  for 
I  have  just  been  home,  and  have  seen  her  in  her  little 
coffin." 

This  occurred  in  the  year  1843,  and  was  related  to 
Mr.  Owen,  by  the  lady  who  saw  the  apparition  of  the 
mother,  in  1859. 

I  infer  from  the  narrative  that  the  mother  was  asleep, 
or,  at  least,  partially  so ;  and  she  was  probably  dream- 
ing or  thinking  of  her  child,  and  of  the  young  lady  in 
whose  charge  it  was  left  This  young  lady  was  accus- 
tomed to  the  sight'  of  apparitions ;  that  is,  according  to 
my  views,  she  was  impressible,  and  subject  to  hallucina- 
tions. On  going  into  the  room  where  the  corpse  lay, 
she  would  naturally  think  of  the  mother ;  and  as  the 
latter  was  at  the  same  time  thinking  of  her,  the  two 
were  brought  intimately  en  rapport.  The  room  was 
probably,  as  is  usual,  partially  darkened.  Now,  if  one 
mind  can  produce  an  effect  upon  another,  that  a  young 
lady  subject  to  hallucinations  should,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, experience  one,  is  not  at  all  strange.  When 
the  two  ladies  became,  for  a  moment,  perfectly  en  rap- 
port, their  perceptions  coincided.  The  mother  really 
saw  nothing,  for  she  was  asleep ;  the  young  lady  saw 
the  apparition  of  the  mother  and  the  dead  child  in  its 


REVIEW   OP  NABRATIVES.  337 

coffin ;  or  at  least  had  the  latter  in  her  mind,  which 
would  have  the  same  effect  as  if  she  was  looking  at  it 
Whether  the  mother  retained  the  impression  of  having 
reclined  on  the  sofa,  or  not,  does  not  appear  from  the 
narrative,  and  is  not  material.  Sometimes  only  the 
strongest  impressions  are  retained;  and  the  vision  of 
the  dead  child  in  its  coffin  may  have  been  all  that  was 
recollected. 

Mr.  Owen  does  not  trouble  himself  with  seeking  for 
any  coherence  in  his  theory  as  applied  to  the  different 
narratives.  In  this,  and  the  two  narratives  entitled 
"  The  Mother  and  Son,"  and  "  One  Dream  the  Counter- 
part of  Another,"  the  parties  experienced  the  sensation 
of  being  where  their  apparitions  were  seen ;  and  in  such 
cases  the  "  spirit "  is  represented  as  being  the  individual, 
or,  as  Spiritualists  express  it,  as  containing  the  soul. 
But  it  is  evident  from  the  narratives  entitled,  "  Sight 
and  Sound,"  "Apparition  of  the  Living  seen  by  Mother 
and  Daughter,"  and  "  The  Two  Sisters,"  that  in  these 
cases  the  parties  had  no  knowledge  or  sensation  of  being 
where  their  spirits  were  supposed  to  be  seen ;  in  fact,  in 
the  latter  cases  there  appears  to  have  existed,  at  least 
for  the  time  being,  no  more  connection  between  the 
"  spiritual  body  "  and  the  "  natural  body  "  than  between 
the  latter  and  any  other  individual ;  and  therefore  each 
body — the  natural  and  spiritual — must  have  possessed 
its  own  distinct  "  soul,"  whatever  the  latter  may  be. 

"  The  Visionary  Excursion," 

"  In  June  of  the  year  1857,  a  lady  whom  I  shall  desig- 
nate as  Mrs.  A- (now  Lady ),  was  residing  with 


338  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

her  husband,  a  colonel  in  the  British  army,  and  their 
infant  child,  on  "Woolwich  Common,  near  London. 

"  One  night,  in  the  early  part  of  that  month,  suddenly 
awaking  to  consciousness,  she  felt  herself  as  if  standing 
by  the  bedside  and  looking  upon  her  own  body,  which 
lay  there  by  the  side  of  her  sleeping  husband.  Her 
first  impression  was  that  she  had  died  suddenly ;  and 
the  idea  was  confirmed  by  the  pale  and  lifeless  look  of 
the  body,  the  face  void  of  expression,  and  the  whole 
appearance  showing  no  sign  of  vitality.  She  gazed  at 
it  with  curiosity  for  some  time,  comparing  its  dead  look 
with  that  of  the  fresh  countenances  of  her  husband  and 
of  her  slumbering  infant  in  a  cradle  hard  by.  For  a 
moment  she  experienced  a  feeling  of  relief  that  she  had 
escape  1  the  pangs  of  death ;  but  the  next,  she  reflected 
what  a  grief  her  death  would  be  to  the  survivors,  and 
then  came  a  wish  that  she  could  have  broken  the  news 
to  them  gradually.  While  engaged  in  these  thoughts, 
she  felt  herself  carried  to  the  wall  of  the  room,  with  a 
feeling  that  it  must  arrest  her  further  progress.  But 
no :  she  seemed  to  pass  through  it  into  the  open  air." 

The  lady  was.  as  she  thought,  thus  carried  along,  with- 
out action  or  volition  on  her  part,  past  familiar  objects, 
until  she  found  herself  in  the  bed-chamber  of  an  intimate 

friend,  Miss  L M ,  at  Greenwich ;  with  whom 

she  entered  into  conversation,  the  purport  of  which  she 
did  not  recollect. 

This  occurred  during  a  Wednesday  night.  On  the 

succeeding  Friday  Miss  L M visited  Mrs. 

A ,  when  the  two  ladies  began  conversing  about 

bonnets ;  and  Mrs.  A said,  "  My  last  was  trimmed 

with  violet ;  and  I  like  the  color  so  mach,  I  think  I 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  339 

shall  select  it  again."  "Yes,"  her  friend  replied,  "I 

know  that  is  your  color."  "How  so?"  Mrs.  A 

asked.  "  Because  when  you.  came  to  me  the  other 
night — let  me  see;  when  was  it? — ah,  I  remember,  the 
night  before  last — it  was  robed  in  violet  that  you  ap- 
peared to  me."  "  I  appeared  to  you  the  other  night?  " 
"  Yes,  about  three  o'clock ;  and  we  had  quite  a  conver- 
sation together.  Have  you  no  recollection  of  it  ?  " 

This  narrative  was  given  Mr.  Owen  in  1859  by  one 
of  the  ladies,  and  confirmed  by  the  other.  To  assume 
that  it  was  precisely  accurate  as  to  the  actual  conversa- 
tion, would  be  equivalent  to  assuming  that  Miss  L 

M was  an  idiot ;  but  this  is  a  matter  of  little  con- 
sequence ;  and  we  will  suppose  the  narrative  to  be  sub- 
stantially correct  It  is  so  similar  to  others  which  I 
have  copied  that  it  requires  no  additional  explanation ; 
and  my  only  reason  for  noticing  it  is,  that  Mr.  Owen 
here  advances  more  definitely  than  in  the  preceding 
cases  his  theory  upon  the  subject.  He  says : 

"Kesembling  in  its  general  character  the  Wilkins 
dream,  the  above  differs  from  it  chiefly  in  this,  that  the 
narrator  appears  to  have  observed  more  minutely  the 
succession  of  her  sensations,  thus  suggesting  to  us  the 
idea  that  the  apparently  lifeless  body  which  seemed  to 
her  to  have  remained  behind  might,  for  the  time,  have 
parted  with  what  we  may  call  a  spiritual  portion  of  it- 
self; which  portion  moving  off  without  the  usual  means 
of  locomotion,  might  make  itself  perceptible,  at  a  cer- 
tain distance,  to  another  person.  Let  him  who  may 
pronounce  this  a  fantastical  hypothesis,  absurd  on  its 
face,  suggest  some  other  sufficient  to  explain  the  phe- 
nomenon we  are  here  examining." 


840  MODERN"  DIABOLISM. 

This  hypothesis  does  not  explain  this  phenomenon  at 
all ;  for  the  principal  portion  of  the  figure  which  Miss 

L M thought  she  saw,  was  a  violet  dress ;  not 

a  spiritual  portion,  or  any  other  portion  of  the  body  of 

Mrs.  A .  She  probably  thought  that  she  saw  her 

face,  and  nothing  more.  Now,  the  supposition  that  a 
spiritual  portion  of  the  body  of  Mrs.  A could  as- 
sume the  form  and  appearance  of  a  violet  dress,  would 
certainly  be  a  "  fantastical  hypothesis."  And  it  would 
be  equally  absurd  to  suppose  that  the  spirit  procured, 

in  some  way,  the  dress,  and  that  Mrs.  A had  no 

recollection  of  this,  while  she  recollected  so  many  other 
less  important  occurrences.  But,  in  fact,  as  all  the 
movements  of  the  spirit  were  involuntary,  how  could  it 
have  procured  the  dress  ?  Spiritualists  entirely  ignore 
the  question  as  to  the  dress  of  the  spirits.  Mr.  Owen's 
work  contains  about  five  hundred  pages ;  and  yet  he 
makes  no  attempt  to  explain  this  point. 

But  what  could  have  carried  the  spirit,  without  its 

own  volition,  into  the  bed-chamber  of  Miss  L 

M ?  Not  the  volition  of  the  "  natural  body  ;  "  for, 

according  to  the  narrative,  the  "soul"  was  with  the 
u  spiritual  body."  And  look  once  more  at  the  utter  in- 
coherence of  Mr.  OwenV1  views.  In  this  case,  the  nat- 
ural body  is  supposed  to  be  left  in  a  lifeless  condition 
in  consequence  of  the  spirit's  exit ;  in  other  cases,  the 
spirit  is  not  missed  by  the  natural  body  at  all. 

It  is  stated  in  the  narrative  that  Mrs.  A was  ex- 
pecting the  visit  of  Miss  L M •.  In  the  night 

she  dreamed  of  visiting  her ;  and  as  violet  was  her 
favorite  color,  dreamed  that  she  was  dressed  in  violet ; 
this  produced  a  coinciding  dream  in  her  friend.  The 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  841 

narrative  does  not  state  that  Mrs.  A — • — thought  she 
was  dressed  in  violet;  but,  even  according  to  Mr. 
Owen's  theory,  she  must  have  thought,  or,  as  he  would 
probably  say,  have  known  that  she  was. 

•  In  the  Wilkins  narrative,  and  in  that  entitled  "One 
Dream  the  Counterpart  of  Another,"  the  original  dreamer 
—the  one  who  produced  the  corresponding  dream  in 
another — dreamed  that  certain  words  were  spoken  ;  and 
each  party  recollected  precisely  the  same  words.  In 

this  case,  Mrs.  A merely  dreamed  that  she  had  a 

conversation  with  her  friend;  she  did  not  dream  of 
any  particular  words  being  spoken.  Such,  at  least, 
appears  to  have  been  her  recollection.  And  the  recol- 
lection of  her  friend  appears  to  have  been  precisely  the 
same  ;  she  only  remembered  they  had  a  conversation ; 
not,  apparently,  recollecting  a  single  word  that  was 
spoken.  Such  precise  coincidences  in  the  recollections 
of  the  parties  would  be  very  strange  if  the  visits  were 
real,  and  not  imaginary  ones. 

The  chapter  on  "  Apparitions  of  the  Living"  contains 
one  narrative  which,  if  true,  cannot  be  explained  other- 
wise than  upon  the  spiritual  hypothesis.  It  was  given 
Mr.  Owen  by  the  Captain  Clarke,  who  also  gave  him 
the  inexplicable  narrative  entitled  "  The  Two  Field- 
mice."  The  narrative  is  quite  lengthy,  covering  about 
eight  pages  of  Mr.  Owen's  work  ;  and  I  can  give  only 
a  synopsis. 

"  The  Itescue." 

In  the  year  1828  Robert  Bruce  was  first  mate  of  a 
bark  bound  from  Liverpool  to  St.  John's,  New  Bruns- 


842  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

wick.  One  day,  having  taken  an  observation  at  noon, 
the  captain  and  mate  descended  to  make  their  calcula- 
tions ;  the  captain  to  the  cabin,  and  the  mate  to  his  state- 
room, from  which  he  could  see  into  the  cabin.  The 
captain,  having  finished  his  calculations,  went  on  deck. 
When  Bruce  had  finished  his,  supposing  the  captain  to 
be  still  in  the  cabin,  he  inquired  as  to  how  their  calcu- 
lations agreed.  Eeceiving  no  answer,  he  looked  into 
the  cabin,  and  saw  the  captain,  as  he  supposed,  writing 
on  his  slate.  As  Bruce  rose,  and  was  about  entering 
the  cabin,  the  person  that  he  thought  the  captain  raised 
his  head,  when  Bruce  perceived  that  the  individual  was 
an  entire  stranger. 

The  narrative  asserts  that  "  Bruce  was  no  coward ;  " 
but  immediately  contradicts  this  by  the  statement  that 
when  he  perceived  it  was  a  stranger  he  became  fright- 
ened, rushed  on  deck,  and  refnsed  to  descend  again  and 
ascertain  who  the  individual  was,  as  the  captain  re- 
quested, until  the  latter  led  the  way.  No  one  was  found 
in  the  cabin  when  the  captain  and  Bruce  entered  it ;  but 
upon  examining  the  slate,  they  found  written  on  it, 
"  Steer  to  the  nor' west" 

In  obedience  to  this  mysterious  mandate,  the  captain 
decided  to  change  the  course  of  the  bark  from  south  of 
west  to  northwest ;  and  after  sailing  in  the  latter  direc- 
tion for  several  hours,  a  vessel  was  discovered  wrecked 
in  a  field  of  ica  This  vessel  had  several  passengers  ; 
and  when  these  were  transferred  to  the  bark,  Bruce  re- 
cognized one  of  them  as  the  person  he  had  seen  writing 
on  the  slate.  This  individual  was  then  asked  to  write 
the  words,  "  Steer  to  the  nor'west,"  which  he  did,  when 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  343 

the  hand-writing  was  found  to  precisely  resemble  that 
of  the  original  sentence. 

It  seems  to  me  unnecessary  to  discuss  the  credibility 
of  this  story,  for  the  reason  that  if  such  an  extraordinary 
occurrence  had  taken  place,  with  as  many  witnesses  as 
is  represented,  the  facts  would  have  been  made  known 
wherever  a  newspaper  was  published  The  only  point 
worth  examining,  and  this  only  as  bearing  upon  the 
credibility  of  the  preceding  narrative  of  this  Captain 
Clarke,  is,  who  was  the  liar  in  this  case,  Clarke  or 
Bruce  ? 

Mr.  Owen  says:  "I  asked  Captain  Clarke  if  he  knew 
Bruce  well,  and  what  sort  of  man  he  was.  '  As  truth- 
ful and  straightforward  a  man,'  he  replied,  'as  ever  I 
met  in  all  my  lifa  We  were  as  intimate  as  brothers ; 
and  two  men  can't  be  together,  shut  up  for  seventeen 
months  in  the  same  ship,  without  getting  to  know 
whether  they  can  trust  one  another's  word  or  not' " 

But  Mr.  Owen  should  first  have  ascertained  what  sort 
of  man  Clarke  was.  So  far  as  appears,  he  knew  nothing 
about  Clarke,  except  that  he  had  learned,  in  some  way, 
that  the  latter  had  these  marvelous  stories  to  relate; 
when  he  went  down  to  the  New  York  docks  and  re- 
ceived the  narratives.  What  sort  of  a  man  Bruce  was, 
was  certainly  a  very  naive  inquiry.  Bruce  was  prob- 
ably a  myth ;  at  any  rate,  it  is  very  obvious  that  Clarke 
never  received  the  story  from  Bruce ;  for  if  he  had,  he 
would  have  given  the  names  of  the  bark  and  wrecked 
vessel,  with  other  items,  by  means  of  which  the  truth 
of  the  story  could  be  ascertained.  It  will  be  perceived, 
and  Mr.  Owen  should  have  noticed,  that  Clarke  did  not 
give  a  single  item  of  the  kind.  Now,  he  could  not  have 


344  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

heard  such  a  wonderful  story,  and  have  been  seventeen 
months  in  the  same  ship  with  the  narrator,  the  two  "  as 
intimate  as  brothers,"  without  having  learned  all  the 
items  in  the  case.  It  is  evident  that  Clarke,  not  Bruce, 
was  the  liar  in  this  case ;  and  we  have,  therefore,  a  right 
to  conclude  that  the  preceding  narrative  given  by  the 
former,  entitled  "  The  Two  Field-mice,"  is  also  a  fiction. 

In  this  case,  again,  if  there  is  any  truth  in  the  narra- 
tive, the  spirit  was  dressed  in  a  suit  precisely  like  that 
worn  by  the  natural  body.  But  why  do  the  spirits  al- 
ways imitate  the  natural  body  in  dress  ?  "Why  copy 
the  fashions  of  our  world  at  all ;  and  especially  for  a 
short  excursion  like  this,  where  a  more  simple  dress 
would  serve  as  well?  The  truth  appears  to  be,  that 
Mr.  Owen  has  written  this  book  without  having  once 
thought  about  the  matter  of  dress. 

And,  once  more,  look  at  the  incoherence  of  his  theo- 
ries, in  common  with  those  of  all  Spiritualists.  Some- 
times it  appears  from  the  narratives  he  gives,  that  the 
spirits  can  only  communicate  with  our  world  by  means 
of  a  medium  ;  at  other  times,  as  in  this  case,  there  is  no 
necessity  for  a  medium,  the  spirit  can  make  itself  visi- 
ble, and  write  on  a  slate  without  any  such  aid. 

From  the  chapter  on  "  Apparitions  of  the  Dead,"  I 
will  take  two  narratives  of  such  occurrences  where  the 
apparitions  were,  as  I  think,  produced  by  beings  of  the 
other  world ;  selecting  such  as  are  of  most  recent  date, 
and  which  appear  to  be  best  authenticated. 

The  following,  Mr.  Owen  says,  was  communicated  to 
him,  under  date  of  April  25,  1859,  in  a  letter  from  the 
Rev.  Dr.,  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  Chaplain  to  the  British  Legation  at ;  who  in- 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  845 

formed  him  that  "  the  relation  is  in  the  very  words,  so 
far  as  his  memory  serves,  in  which  the  narrator,  his 
brother,  repeated  it  to  him.  Though  not  at  liberty  to 
print  the  reverend  gentleman's  name,  he  has  permitted 
me  to  furnish  it  privately  in  any  case  in  which  it  might 
serve  the  cause  to  advance  which  these  pages  have  been 
written." 

"  The  Stains  of  Blood." 

"In  the  year  185-  I  was  staying,  with  my  wife 

and  children,  at  the  favorite  watering-place .  In 

order  to  attend  to  some  affairs  of  my  own,  I  deter- 
mined to  leave  my  family  there  for  three  or  four  days. 
Accordingly,  on  the  — th  of  August,  I  took  the  rail- 
way, and  arrived  that  evening,  an  unexpected  guest,  at 
Hall,  the  residence  of  a  gentleman  whose  acquaint- 
ance I  had  'recently  made,  and  with  whom  my  sister 
was  then  staying. 

"  I  arrived  late,  soon  afterward  went  to  bed,  and  be- 
fore long  fell  asleep.  Awaking  after  three  or  four 
hours,  I  was  not  surprised  to  find  I  could  sleep  no 
more ;  for  I  never  rest  well  in  a  strange  bed.  Aftei 
trying,  therefore,  in  vain  again  to  induce  sleep,  I  began 
to  arrange  my  plans  for  the  day. 

"  I  had  been  engaged  some  little  time  in  this  way, 
when  I  became  suddenly  sensible  that  there  was  a  light 
in  the  room.  Turning  round,  I  distinctly  perceived  a 
female  figure ;  and  what  attracted  my  special  attention 
was,  that  the  light  by  which  I  saw  it  emanated  from  itself. 
I  watched  the  figure  attentively.  The  features  were 
not  perceptible.  After  moving  a  little  distance,  it  dis- 
appeared as  suddenly  as  it  had  appeared. 


346  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

"  My  first  thoughts  were  that  there  was  some  trick 
I  immediately  got  out  of  bed,  struck  a  light,  and  found 
my  bedroom-door  still  locked.  I  then  carefully  exam- 
ined the  walls,  to  ascertain  if  there  were  any  other  con- 
cealed means  of  entrance  or  exit ;  but  none  could  I  find. 
I  drew  the  curtains  and  opened  the  shutters ;  but  all 
outside  was  silent  and  dark,  there  being  no  moonlight 

"  In  doubt  and  uncertainty  I  passed  the  rest  of  the 
night ;  and  in  the  morning,  descending  early,  I  imme- 
diately told  my  sister  what  had  occurred,  describing  to 
her  accurately  everything  connected  with  the  appear- 
ance I  had  witnessed.  She  seemed  much  struck  with 
what  I  told  her,  and  replied :  '  It  is  very  odd  ;  for  you 
have  heard,  I  dare  say,  that  a  lady  was,-  some  years  ago, 
murdered  in  this  house  ;  but  it  was  not  in  the  room  you 
slept  in.'  I  answered,  that  I  had  never  heard  anything 
of  the  kind,  and  was  beginning  to  make  further  in- 
quiries about  the  murder,  when  I  was  interrupted  by 
the  entrance  of  our  host  and  hostess,  and  afterward  by 
breakfast  After  breakfast  I  left,  without  having  had 
any  opportunity  of  renewing  the  conversation. 

"  On  the  Wednesday  following  I  received  a  letter 
from  my  sister,  in  which  she  informed  me  that,  since  I 
left,  she  had  ascertained  that  the  murder  was  committed 
in  the  very  room  in  which  I  had  slept.  She  added  that 
she  purposed  visiting  us  next  day,  and  that  she  would 
like  me  to  write  out  an  account  of  what  I  had  seen,  to- 
gether with  a  plan  of  the  room,  and  that  on  that  plan 
she  wished  me  to  mark  the  place  of  the  appearance,  and 
of  the  disappearance  of  the  figure. 

"This  I  immediately  did;  and  the  next  day,  when 
my  sister  arrived,  she  asked  me  if  I  had  complied  with 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  847 

her  request.  I  replied,  pointing  to  the  drawing-room 
table,  'Yes:  there  is  the  account  and  the  plan.'  As 
she  rose  to  examine  it,  I  prevented  her,  saying,  '  Do  not 
look  at  it  until  you  have  told  me  all  you  have  to  say, 
because  you  might  unintentionally  color  your  story  by 
what  you  may  read  there.' 

"  Thereupon  she  informed  me  that  she  had  had  the 
carpet  taken  up  in  the  room  I  had  occupied,  and  that 
the  marks  of  blood  from  the  murdered  person  were 
there,  plainly  visible,  on  a  particular  part  of  the  floor. 
At  my  request  she  also  then  drew  a  plan  of  the  room, 
and  marked  upon  it  the  spots  which  still  bore  traces 
of  blood.  The  two  plans — my  sister's  and  mine — were 
then  compared,  and  we  verified  the  most  remarkable 
fact,  that  the  places  she  had  marked  as  the  beginning  and 
ending  of  the  traces  of  blood  coincided  exactly  with  the  spots 
marked  on  my  plan  as  those  on  which  the  female  figure  had 
appeared  and  disappeared." 

Of  course  the  sister  could  not  have  ascertained  which 
was  the  beginning  and  which  the  ending  of  the  traces 
of  blood ;  that  was  a  subsequent  inference.  I  call  at- 
tention to  this,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  showing  with 
what  caution  these  marvelous  narratives  must  be  re- 
ceived. This  narrator  evidently  intended  to  state  the 
facts,  and  nothing  more:  and  yet,  he  has  stated  as  a 
fact  what  was  merely  an  inference.  It  is  a  matter  of 
no  great  importance  here;  but  in  some  cases  it  is  a 
point  of  vast  importance  whether  what  is  stated  as  a 
remarkable  coincidence  is  a  known  fact,  or  an  inference. 

And  this  inaccuracy  has  in  this  case  a  bearing  upon 
the  question  as  to  the  nature  of  the  phenomenon.  I 
presume  the  apparition  was  produced  by  one  of  the 


348  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

other  world,  probably  by  the  murdered  lady ;  but  I 
thiuk  it  was  merely  a  hallucination  which  was  pro- 
duced, and  that  the  gentleman  really  saw  nothing. 

I  have  had  a  somewhat  similar  experience  myself. 
One  night  in  the  month  of  November,  or  December, 
1863,  while  lying  awake,  I  perceived  what  appeared  to 
be  a  draped  female  statue  in  marble,  standing  with  the 
left  side  toward  me,  about  four  feet  from  the  foot  of  the 
bed.  It  was  not  the  likeness  of  any  one  I  knew ;  and 
I  had  not  recently  seen  any  statues,  nor,  so  far  as  I  can 
recollect,  read  or  thought  of  any.  At  first  it  was  very 
indistinct ;  that  is,  the  room  appeared  to  be  dark  ;  but 
while  looking  at  it,  and  endeavoring  to  make  out  the 
features  more  clearly,  the  face  and  upper  portion  of  the 
bust  appeared  to  be  suddenly  illuminated,  and  then  the 
whole  figure  as  suddenly  disappeared.  I  could  have 
marked  on  a  plan  of  the  room  the  spot  where  the  statue 
appeared  to  stand  ;  and  yet  I  could  have  seen  nothing, 
for  my  eyes  were  closed. 

Of  course  it  is  possible  for  any  one  to  ascertain 
whether  the  light  in  such  a  case  is  real  or  not,  by  ob- 
serving whether  it  renders  other  objects  visible ;  but 
the  difficulty  is  that  the  attention  is  entirely  concen- 
trated upon  the  figure  supposed  to  be  seen,  and  other 
facts  are  not  observed.  It  would  be  useless  to  speculate 
as  to  the  object  of  the  murdered  lady  in  producing  the 
apparition ;  probably  she  had  no  definite  object  what- 
ever. » 

It  will  be  understood  that  I  have  here  given  my 
views  as  to  this  particular  phenomenon  ;  not  that  I  be- 
lieve it  would  be  an  impossibility  for  one  of  the  other 
world  to  produce  a  dress  (which  appears  to  be  all  that 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  349 

the  gentleman  thought  he  saw)  which  might  be  actually 
seen  by  one  of  our  world ;  and  it  is  possible  the  dress 
might  be  made  luminous  in  the  dark.  But,  as  I  shall 
hereafter  show,  considerable  time  is  required  in  the  pre 
paration  of  such  dresses. 

"  The  Fourteenth  of  November  " 

"  In  the  month  of  September,  1857,  Captain  G 

W ,  of  the  6th  (Inniskillin)  Dragoons,  went  out  to 

India  to  join  his  regiment 

"  His  wife  remained  in  England,  residing  at  Cam- 
bridge. On  the  night  between  the  14th  and  15th  of 
November,  1857,  toward  morning,  she  dreamed  that  she 
saw  her  husband,  looking  anxious  and  ill ;  upon  which 
she  immediately  awoke,  much  agitated.  It  was  bright 
moonlight ;  and,  looking  up,  she  perceived  the  same 
figure  standing  by  her  bedside.  He  appeared  in  his 
uniform,  the  hands  pressed  across  the  breast,  the  hair 
disheveled,  the  face  very  pale.  His  large  dark  eyes 
were  fixed  full  upon  her ;  their  expression  was  that  of 
great  excitement,  and  there  was  a  peculiar  contraction 
of  the  mouth,  habitual  to  him  when  agitated.  She  saw 
him,  even  to  each  minute  particular  of  his  dress,  as  dis- 
tinctly as  she  had  ever  done  in  her  life;  and  she  re- 
members to  have  noticed  between  his  hands  the  white 
of  the  shirt  bosom,  unstained,  however,  with  blood.  The 
figure  seemed  to  bend  forward,  as  if  in  pain,  and  to  • 
make  an  effort  to  speak  ;  but  there  was  no  sound.  It 
remained  visible,  the  wife  thinks,  as  long  as  a  minute, 
and  then  disappeared. 

"  Next  morning  she  related  all  this  to  her  mother,  ex- 


350  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

pressing  her  Conviction,  though  she  had  noticed  no 

marks  of  blood  on  his  dress,  that  Captain  W was 

either  killed  or  grievously  wounded.  So  fully  im- 
pressed was  she  with  the  reality  of  that  apparition  that 
she  thenceforth  refused  all  invitations.  A  young  friend 
urged  her,  soon  afterward,  to  go  with  her  to  a  fashion- 
able concert,  reminding  her  that  she  had  received  from 
Malta,  sent  by  her  husband,  a  handsome  dress-cloak, 
which  she  had  never  yet  worn.  But  she  positively  de- 
clined, declaring  that,  uncertain  as  she  was  whether 
she  was  not  already  a  widow,  she  would  never  enter  a 
plac  of  amusement  until  she  had  letters  from  her  hus- 
band (if,  indeed,  he  still  lived)  of  later  date  than  the 
14th  of  November." 

Some  time  in  the  succeeding  month  (December)  a 
telegram  was  published  in  London,  stating  that  Captain 

W was  killed  before  Lucknow  on  the  fifteenth  of 

November ;  and  official  intelligence  was  afterward  re- 
ceived at  the  War  Office  to  the  same  effect. 

When  Mr.  Wilkinson,  a  London  solicitor  who  had  in 

charge  Captain  W 's  affairs,  met  Mrs.  W ,  after 

the  publication  of  the  telegram,  she  informed  him  of  the 
apparition,  saying  she  felt  sure  that  her  husband  could 
not  have  been  killed  on  the  15th  of  November,  inas- 
much as  it  was  during  the  night  between  the  14th  and 
15th  that  he  appeared  to  her.  The  certificate  from  the 
War  Office,  however,  which  it  became  Mr.  Wilkinson's 
.duty  to  obtain,  confirmed  the  date  given  in  the  tele- 
gram. 

After  the  interview  with  Mrs.  W ,  Mr.  Wilkinson 

visited  a  friend,  called  Mr.  N ,  "  whose  lady  has  all 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  851 

her  life  had  perception  of  apparitions,  while  her  hus- 
band is  what  is  usually  called  an  impressible  medium." 

"Mr.  Wilkinson  related  to  them,  as  a  wonderful  cir- 
cumstance, the  vision  of  the  captain's  widow  in  connec- 
tion with  his  death,  and  described  the  figure  as  it  had 

appeared  to  her.  Mrs.  N ,  turning  to  her  husband, 

instantly  said,  '  That  must  be  the  very  person  I  saw, 
the  evening  we  were  talking  of  India,  and  you  drew  an 
elephant,  with  a  howdah  on  his  back.  Mr.  "Wilkinson 
has  described  his  exact  position  and  appearance ;  the 
uniform  of  a  British  officer,  his  hands  pressed  across  his 
breast,  his  form  bent  forward  as  if  in  pain.  The  figure,' 
she  added  to  Mr.  Wilkinson,  '  appeared  just  behind  my 
husband,  and  seemed  looking  over  his  left  shoulder.' 

"  '  Did  you  attempt  to  obtain  any  communication  from 
him  ?  '  Mr.  Wilkinson  asked. 

"  '  Yes  :  we  procured  one  through  the  medium  of  my 
husband.' 

"  '  Do  you  remember  its  purport  ?  ' 

"  '  It  was  to  the  effect  that  he  had  been  killled  in  In- 
dia that  afternoon,  by  a  wound  in  the  breast ;  and  add- 
ing, as  I  distinctly  remember,  "  That  thing  I  used  to  go 
about  in  is  not  buried  yet"  I  particularly  marked  the 
expression.'  " 

This  occurred,  as  was  found  by  looking  at  the  date 
of  a  bill  which  had  been  paid  on  the  same  evening,  on 
the  14th  of  November. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1858,  the  family  of  Captain 

"W" received  a  letter  from  India,  informing  them 

that  the  captain  had  been  killed  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
14th  of  November ;  having  been  struck  in  the  breast  by 
a  fragment  of  shell  And  the  War  Office,  more  than  a 


352  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

year  after  the  event  occurred,  made  the  correction  as  to 
the  date  of  the  death,  altering  it  from  the  15th  to  the 
14th  of  November. 

"  This  extraordinary  narrative,"  Mr.  Owen  says,  "  was 
obtained  by  me  directly  from  the  parties  themselves. 
The  widow  of  Captain  W kindly  consented  to  ex- 
amine and  correct  the  manuscript,  and  allowed  rne  to 
inspect  a  copy  of  Captain  C 's  letter,  giving  the  par- 
ticulars of  her  husband's  death.  To  Mr.  Wilkinson, 
also,  the  manuscript  was  submitted,  and  he  assented  to 
its  accuracy  so  far  as  he  is  concerned.  That  portion 
which  relates  to  Mrs.  N I  had  from  that  lady  her- 
self. I  have  neglected  no  precaution,  therefore,  to  ob- 
tain'for  it  the  warrant  of  authenticity. 

"  It  is,  perhaps,  the  only  example  on  record  where  the 
appearance  of  what  is  usually  termed  a  ghost  proved  the 
means  of  correcting  an  erroneous  date  in  the  dispatches 
of  a  commander-in-chief,  and  of  detecting  an  inaccuracy 
in  the  certificate  of  a  War  Office. 

"  It  is  especially  valuable,  too,  as  furnishing  an  exam- 
ple of  a  double  apparition.  Nor  can  it  be  alleged  (even 
if  the  allegation  had  weight)  that  the  recital  of  one  lady 
caused  the  apparition  of  the  same  figure  to  the  otber. 

Mrs.  W was  at  the  time  in  Cambridge,  and  Mrs. 

N in  London ;  and  it  was  not  till  weeks  after  the 

occurrence  that  either  knew  what  the  other  had  seen. 

"  Those  who  would  explain  the  whole  on  the  princi- 
ple of  chance  coincidence  have  a  treble  event  to  take 

into  account :  the  apparition  to  Mrs.  N ,  that  to 

Mrs.  W ,  and  the  actual  time  of  Captain  W 's 

death  ;  each  tallying  exactly  with  the  other/' 

It  does  not  appear  from  the  narrative  that  the  appari- 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  353 

tion  had  any  connection,  either  directly  or  indirectly, 
with  the  correction  of  the  date  at  the  War  Office ;  and 
such  a  supposition  is  rather  absurd.  The  statement  on 
this  point  is,  that  Mr.  Wilkinson,  having  occasion  to 
apply  for  a  second  certificate,  found  that  the  date  bad 
been  changed.  There  is  no  evidence  that  the  apparition 
had  even  been  heard  of  at  the  War  Office.  This,  how- 
ever is  a  matter  of  no  particular  consequence.  The  main 
facts  in  the  case  are  as  well  authenticated  as  anything 
of  the  kind  can  be.  I  recollect  reading  in  an  English 
newspaper — or  copied  from  such,  I  am  not  certain  which 
— shortly  after  the  date  of  the  occurrences,  an  article 
upon  the  subject,  from  which  it  appeared  that  there  was 
no  dispute  as  to  the  facts ;  but  the  position  was  taken 
that  the  coincidence  might  have  been  accidental,  and 
that  the  facts  were  not  sufficient  to  prove  that  the  spirit 
of  Captain  W was  actually  seen.  I  do  not  recol- 
lect whether  the  appearance  and  communication  to  Mr. 

and  Mrs.  N were  alluded  to,  and,  in  my  judgment, 

that  part  of  the  narrative  is  not  of  the  slightest  import- 
ance. 

I  might,  perhaps,  ha-ve  selected  a  narrative  which 
would  be  better  evidence  of  an  apparition  produced  by 
an  inhabitant  of  the  invisible  world.  All  that  this  nar- 
rative shows  to  that  effect  is,  that  Mrs.  W ,  during 

the  night  succeeding  the  afternoon  on  which  her  hus- 
band was  killed,  saw  the  apparition  described.  As  she 
knew  that  her  husband  was  fighting  in  India,  that  he 
should  appear  to  her,  as  described,  that  night  in  a 
dream,  and  that  the  vision  of  the  dream  should  continue 
for  a  few  seconds  after  she  awoke,  might  be  considered 
an  accidental  coincidence.  But,  as  the  facts  have  be- 


354  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

come  so  well  known,  and  have  been,  more  than  once, 
triumphantly  quoted  by  Spiritualists  in  confirmation 
of  their  doctrines,  I  have  thought  it  best  to  give  the 
substance  of  the  narrative,  with  my  views  regarding 
the  occurrences. 

As  apparitions,  occurring  soon  after  the  death  of  the 
person  whose  appearance  is  seen,  are,  as  formerly  stated, 
frequent,  it  is  very  probable  that  this  one  was  produced 
by  a  relative  or  friend  of  the  captain  in  the  invisible 
world,  who,  knowing  the  danger  to  which  he  was  to  be 
exposed,  had  accompanied  him.  The  invisible  being 
producing  the  apparition,  would  naturally  have  in  his 
(or  her)  mind  the  image  of  the  captain  as  he  appeared 
on  being  struck  by  the  fragment  of  shell.  It  is  stated 
that  he  almost  instantly  expired. 

Now,  let  us  examine  that  part  of  the  narrative  relat- 
ing to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N .  They  were  talking  of  India, 

probably  of  the  war  there.  Mrs.  N ,  a  lady  who 

"  has  all  her  life  had  perception  of  apparitions,"  thought 
she  saw  a  British  officer,  who  appeared  to  have  been 
wounded  in  the  breast — a  part  of  the  person  which, 
somehow,  we  are  apt  to  think  most  likely  to  be  struck 
by  a  ball,  or  pierced  by  a  bayonet  Mr.  N ,  an  im- 
pressible medium,  on  being  told  by  his  wife  that  she 
saw  an  officer  standing  just  behind  him,  looking  as  de- 
scribed, thought  that  he  received  a  communication  (by 
impression,  it  will  be  recollected)  from  the  officer,  cor- 
roborative of  the  vision  of  his  wife,  and  to  the  effect  that 
the  death  had  occurred  that  afternoon.  The  vision  of 
the  seeress  and  the  communication  to  the  impressible 
medium,  may  all  have  been  merely  effects  of  the  imagi- 
nation. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  355 

But  let  us  assume,  which  is  quite  probable,  that  the 
communication  was  from  an  inhabitant  of  the  invisible 

world.  It  could  not  have  been  from  Captain  W , 

for  he  would,  of  course,  if  he  communicated  at  all  with 

Mr.  N ,  have  given  his  name,  and  a  message  for  his 

widow.  A  narrative  like  this  shows  how  entirely  Spir- 
itualist discard  common  sense  as  a  foundation  for  their 

belief.  That  Captain  W should  journey  from 

India  to  England  to  make  his  death  known  to  Mrs. 

W ,  and  that  when,  on  reaching  London,  he  found 

a  medium  through  whom  he  might  have  sent  her  a 
message,  he  merely  stated  to  the  medium  that  he  was 
killed  in  India  that  afternoon,  and  that  the  thing  he 
used  to  go  about  in  was  not  buried  yet — without  even 
giving  his  name — does  not  to  Spiritualists  appear  at  all 
improbable. 

I  presume  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N were  impressible 

mediums ;  and  that,  like  all  other  mediums,  they  were 
surrounded  by  degraded  beings  of  the  invisible  world, 
ready  at  all  times  to  communicate.  These  beings  may, 
possibly,  have  learned  that  a  battle  had  been  fought 
that  day  in  India  ;  but  it  is  equally  probable  that  the 
communication  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 

N were  talking  of  the  war.  At  any  rate,  it  is 

quite  certain  that  the  one  giving  the  communication 
had  not  learned  the  name  of  any  officer  who  had  been 
killed ;  for  if  any  such  name  had  been  learned  it  would 
have  been  given.  The  silly  and  vulgar  language  of 
the  sentence,  "  That  thing  I  used  to  go  about  in  is  not 
buried  yet,"  must  be  familiar  to  all  who  have  often  vis- 
ited mediums. 

I  assume  that  the  apparition,  seen  by  Mrs.  W , 


856  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

could  not  have  been  produced  by  her  husband  so  soon 
after  his  death.  But  my  principal  object  in  copying 
this  narrative  was,  to  show  that  what  may  be  called  the 
respectable  class  of  the  other  world  will  not  communi- 
cate through  the  mediums  ;  and  that  therefore  it  is  use- 
less for  people  to  visit  mediums  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
ceiving communications  from  departed  friends.  Even 
upon  the  assumption  that  this  was  the  spirit  of  Captain 
"W ,  which  had  procured  a  dress  resembling  a  cap- 
tain's uniform — it  is  evident  that  the  spirit  was  unwill- 
ing to  send  a  message  to  Mrs.  W through  any  me- 
dium ;  for  if  this  were  not  so,  a  message  would  have 
been  sent 

"  The  Brother's  Appearance  to  the  Sister." 

This  narrative  was  communicated  to  Mr.  Owen,  in 
the  year  1859,  by  William  Howitt,  who,  in  reference  to 
it,  says : 

"  The  circumstance  you  desire  to  obtain  from  me  is 
one  which  I  have  many  times  heard  related  by  my 
mother.  It  was  an  event  familiar  to  our  family  and  the 
neighborhood,  and  is  connected  with  my  earliest  memo- 
ries ;  having  occurred,  about  'the  time  of  my  birth,  tit 
my  father's  house  at  Heanor,  in  Derbyshire,  where  I 
myself  was  born." 

"  One  fine  calm  afternoon  my  mother,  shortly  after  a 
confinement,  but  perfectly  convalescent,  was  lying  in 
bed,  enjoying,  from  her  window,  the  scene  of  summer 
beauty  and  repose ;  a  bright  sky  above,  and  the  quiet 
village  before  her.  In  this  state  she  was  gladdened  by 
hearing  footsteps  which  she  took  to  be  those  of  her 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  857 

brother  Frank,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  approaching 
the  chamber-door.  The  visitor  knocked  and  entered. 
The  foot  of  the  bed  was  toward  the  door,  and  the  cur- 
tains at  the  foot,  notwithstanding  the  season,  were 
drawn,  to  prevent  any  draught  Her  brother  parted 
them  and  looked  in  upon  her.  His  gaze  was  earnest, 
and  destitute  of  its  usual  cheerfulness,  and  he  spoke 
not  a  word.  'My  dear  Frank,'  said  my  mother,  'how 
glad  I  am  to  see  you  !  Come  round  to  the  bedside :  I 
wish  to  have  some  talk  with  you.' 

"  He  closed  the  curtains  as  complying ;  but,  instead 
of  doing  so,  my  mother,  to  her  astonishment,  heard  him 
leave  the  room,  close  the  door  behind  him,  and  begin 
to  descend  the  stairs.  Greatly  amazed,  she  hastily  rang, 
and  when  her  maid  appeared  she  bade  her  call  her 
brother  back.  The  girl  replied  that  she  had  not  seen 
him  enter  the  house.  But  my  mother  insisted,  saying, 
'  He  was  here  but  this  instant  Run  !  quick  !  call  him 
back !  I  must  see  him.' " 

About  the  time  of  this  occurrence  the  brother  had 
been  stabbed  in  the  street  of  the  village,  and  killed  on 
the  spot 

"  On  comparing  the  circumstances  and  the  exact  time 
at  which  each  occurred,  the  fact  was  substantiated  that 
the  apparition  presented  itself  to  my  mother  almost  in- 
stantly after  her  brother  had  received  the  fatal  stroke." 

I  at  once  admit  that  this  narrative,  as  given,  cannot 
be  explained  consistently  with  the  theories  I  have  pro- 
pounded ;  and  it  would  be  equally  difficult  to  explain 
it  upon  any  theory  advanced  by  Mr.  Owen.  If  this 
narrative  is  a  correct  account  of  the  visit  of  a  spirit, 
then  most  of  those  in  his  work  have  no  bearing  what- 


858  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

ever  upon  the  subject  In  the  two  preceding  narratives 
the  spirits  are  represented  as  appearing  and  disappear- 
ing without  opening  any  door.  And  in  the  narrative 
entitled  "  The  Visionary  Excursion,"  where  Mr.  Owen 
states  more  definitely  than  elsewhere  his  views,  the 
"  spiritual  portion  " — that  is,  the  spiritual  body — is  sup- 
posed to  pass,  without  the  least  difficulty,  through  a 
solid  wall.  But  in  this  narrative,  the  spirit  is  repre- 
sented as  being  like  an  individual  of  our  world  in  every 
respect  except  that  it  could  not,  or  would  not,  talk.  It 
even  observed  the  etiquette  of  knocking  at  the  door  be- 
fore opening  it. 

Then  again,  this  spirit,  apparently,  could  not  speak  a 
word  ;  others  converse  without  difficulty.  And  if  Mr. 
Owen's  narratives  are  accounts  of  the  actual  visits  of 
spirits,  then  it  would  seem  that  all  spirits  are  idiots,  as 
I  have  represented  those  to  be  who  communicate  through 
mediums.  This  spirit  took  the  trouble  to  visit  his  sis- 
ter ;  but  instead  of  going  to  the  side  of  the  bed,  as  a 
sensible  person  would  have  done,  he  opened  the  cur- 
tains at  the  foot ;  and  when  the  sister  requested  him  to 
go  around  to  the  side,  so  that  she  might  converse  with 
him,  he  left  the  room.  What  object  could  he  have  had 
in  visiting  the  sister  at  all  ? 

I  presume  that  this  was  simply  another  instance  of 
one  mind  operating  upon  another.  The  sister  was  lying 
in  a  receptive  or  impressible  condition,  and  the  dying 
brother  probably  thought  of  her,  which  produced  a  hal- 
lucination of  some  kind.  We  have  no  means  of  deter- 
mining the  accuracy  of  the  narrative ;  for  the  voucher 
is  of  the  same  defective  character  as  that  for  the  narra- 
tive entitled  "  Bell  and  Stephenson ; "  and  the  question 


EEVIEW  OF  NAEBATIVES.  359 

again  arises,  How  do  you  know  ?  or,  in  this  case,  when 
did  you  last  hear  the  story?  the  incident  having  occur- 
red when  the  narrator  was  a  child.  After  reading  Mr. 
Howitt's  "  History  of  the  Supernatural,"  I  conclude  the 
story  would  lose  nothing  of  the  marvelous  in  being  told 
by  him. 

"  The  Nobleman  and  his  Servant." 

"  The  late  Lord  M ,  having  gone  to  the  Highlands 

about  the  end  of  the  last  century,  left  his  wife  perfectly 
well  in  London.  The  night  of  his  arrival  at  his  High- 
land home  he  was  awakened  by  seeing  a  bright  light  in 
his  room.  The  curtains  of  his  bed  opened,  and  he  saw 

the  appearance  of  Lady  M standing  there.  He 

rang  for  his  servant,  and  inquired  of  him  what  he  saw  ; 
upon  which  the  man  exclaimed,  in  terror,  'It's  my 

lady ! '  Lady  M had  died  suddenly  in  London 

that  night.  The  story  made  a  great  noise  at  the  time  ; 
and  George  the  Third,  sending  for  Lord  M — —  and 
ascertaining  from  him  the  truth  of  it,  desired  him  to 
write  out  the  circumstances  as  they  happened ;  and 
the  servant  countersigned  the  statement. 

"  About  a  year  afterward,  a  child  five  years  old,  the 

youngest  daughter  of  Lord  M ,  rushed  breathlessly 

into  the  nursery,  exclaiming,  'I  have  seen  mamma 
standing  at  the  top  of  the  stair  and  beckoning  to  me.' 

That  night  the  child,  little  Annabella  M ,  was  taken 

ill,  and  died.  " 

Mr.  Owen  says:  "I  can  vouch,  in  an  unqualified 
manner,  for  the  authenticity  of  both  the  above  circum- 
stances ;  having  received  the  account,  in  writing,  from 
a  member  of  Lord  M 's  family." 


360  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

That  portion  of  the  narrative  relating  to  the  child 
requires  no  further  comment  than  that  it  indicates  a 
family  liability  to  hallucination.  It  is  quite  possible 
the  mother  perceived  the  approaching  death,  or  at  least 
illness,  of  the  child,  and  that  her  presence  produced  in 
the  latter  a  hallucination. 

But  the  preceding  portion  of  the  narrative  cannot,  as 
it  reads,  be  assumed  to  be  merely  an  account  of  a  hallu- 
cination ;  for  it  is  stated  that  the  bed-curtains  were 

opened,  and  not  by  Lord  M. .  The  account  of  this 

apparition  would,  to  most  persons,  appear  no  more  in- 
credible than  the  accounts  I  shall  hereafter  give  of  what 
I  believe  to  have  been  real  and  tangible  apparitions. 
But  the  difficulty  in  the  case  is,  that  these  apparitions 
can  be  produced  through  the  mediumship  of  but  very 
few  individuals ;  and  only  after  a  considerable  length, 
of  time  spent  in  preparing  the  materials. 

In  this  case,  again,  the  narrative  was  given  a  long 
time — at  least  sixty  years — after  the  occurrences  took 
place,  and  by  one  who  must  at  the  time  have  been  quite 
young.  If  we  had  the  account  written  at  the  time  by 
Lord  M ,  the  occurrence  might,  perhaps,  be  ex- 
plained ;  but  there  is  a  lack  of  detail  in  this  given, 
which  makes  such  explanation  impossible. 

It  is  stated  that.  "  the  curtains  of  his  bed  opened ; " 
but  who,  or  what,  opened  them  ?  If  the  apparition  of 
Lady  M opened  them,  Lord  M would,  natur- 
ally, have  so  stated.  Lord  M "  was  awakened  by 

seeing  a  bright  light  in  his  room ;  "  which  must  mean, 
I  suppose,  that  the  light  awoke  him.  But  there  is  no 
explanation  as  to  what  caused  this  light,  or  what  it  ap- 
peared to  emanate  from ;  which  is  a  very  strange  omis- 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  361 

sion.  The  servant,  apparently,  perceived  nothing  un- 
usual until  asked  by  his  master  what  he  saw ;  and 
even  then,  so  far  as  the  narrative  shows,  he  perceived 
no  unnatural  light  It  seems  to  me  quite  certain  that 
there  was  no  unnatural  light  in  the  room ;  for  if  there 
had  been,  it  would  have  been  noticed,  and  stated  what 
the  light  appeared  to  emanate  from.  I  presume  that 
this  was  another  case  of  hallucination,  produced  by  the 
action  of  one  mind  upon  another ;  the  account  of  which 
is  incorrectly  given. 

"Apparition  of  a  Stranger." 

This  narrative  was  given  Mr.  Owen,  in  May,  1859,  by 
Baron  de  Guldenstubbe,  brother  of  Mile,  de  Ghilden- 
stubbe,  who  gave  him  the  two  inexplicable  narratives 
entitled,  "  Why  a  Livonian  School-teacher  lost  her  Situ- 
ation," and  "The  Cemetery  of  Ahrensburg  ;  "  the  for- 
mer of  which,  it  will  be  recollected,  Mr.  Owen  has 
thought  proper  to  omit  from  the  later  editions  of  his 
work. 

"  In  March  of  the  year  1854  the  Baron  de  Gulden- 
stubbe was  residing  alone  in  apartments,  at  Number  23 
Eue  St  Lazare,  Paris.  On  the  16th  of  that  month, 
returning  thither  from  an  evening  party,  after  midnight, 
he  retired  to  rest ;  but  finding  himself  unable  to  sleep, 
he  lit  a  candle  and  began  to  read.  Very  soon  his  atten- 
tion was  drawn  from  the  book  by  experiencing  first  one 
electric  shock,  then  another,  until  the  sensation  was 
eight  or  ten  times  repeated.  This  greatly  surprised  him, 
and  effectually  precluded  all  disposition  to  sleep :  he 
rose,  donned  a  warm  dressing-gown,  and  lit  a  fire  in  the 
adjoining  saloon." 


362  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

Returning  a  few  minutes  afterward  to  the  bedroom 
for  a  pocket-handkerchief,  without  a  candle,  the  baron 
observed,  just  before  the  fireplace,  what  seemed  like  a 
dim  column  of  grayish  vapor,  slightly  luminous ;  of 
which,  however,  he  took  no  particular  notice  at  the  time. 
But,  returning  again,  after  a  while,  for  a  stick  of  wood, 
the  appearance  in  front  of  the  fireplace  arrested  his  atten- 
tion. It  reached  nearly  to  the  ceiling  of  the  apart- 
ment, which  was  fully  twelve  feet  high ;  and  its  color 
had  changed  from  gray  to  that  shade  of  blue  exhibited 
when  spirits  of  wine  are  burned.  As  the  baron  gazed 
at  it,  the  outlines  of  a  human  figure  became  visible. 

"  Gradually  the  outlines  of  the  figure  became  marked, 
the  features  began  to  assume  exact  form,  and  the  whole 
to  take  the  colors  of  the  human  flesh  and  dress.  Finally, 
there  stood  within  the  column,  and  reaching  about  half 
way  to  the  top,  the  figure  of  a  tall,  portly  old  man,  with 
a  fresh  color,  blue  eyes,  snow-white  hair,  thin  white 
whiskers,  but  without  beard  or  mustache  ;  and  dressed 
with  some  care.  He  seemed  to  wear  a  white  cravat  and 
long  white  waistcoat,  high  stiff  shirt  collar,  and  a  long 
black  frockcoat,  thrown  back  from  his  chest,  as  is  the 
wont  of  corpulent  people  like  him  in  hot  weather.  He 
appeared  to  lean  on  a  heavy  white  cane.  After  a  few 
minutes,  the  figure  detached  itself  from  the  column  and 
advanced,  seeming  to  float  slowly  through  the  room, 
till  within  about  three  feet  of  its  wondering  occupant 
There  it  stopped,  put  up  its  hand,  as  if  in  form  of  salu- 
tation, and  slightly  bowed" 

u  After  a  time  the  figure  moved  toward  the  bed,  which 
was  to  the  right  of  the  entrance-door  and  immediately 
opposite  the  fireplace,  then  turning  to  the  left,  returned 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  863 

to  the  spot  before  the  fireplace,  where  it  had  first  ap- 
peared, then  advanced  a  second  time  toward  the  baron. 
And  this  round  it  continued  to  make  (stopping,  how- 
ever, at  intervals)  as  often  as  eight  or  ten  times.  The 
baron  heard  no  sound,  either  of  voice  or  footstep. 

"  The  last  time  it  returned  to  the  fireplace,  after  facing 
the  baron,  it  remained  stationary  there.  By  slow  de- 
grees the  outlines  lost  their  distinctness ;  and,  as  the 
figure  faded,  the  blue  column  gradually  reformed  itself, 
inclosing  it  as  before.  This  time,  however,  it  was  much 
more  luminous — the  light  being  sufficient  to  enable  the 
baron  to  distinguish  small  print,  as  he  ascertained  by 
picking  up  a  Bible  that  lay  on  his  dressing-table  and 
reading  from  it  a  verse  or  two.  He  showed  me  the 
copy  :  it  was  in  minion  type.  Very  gradually  the  light 
faded,  seeming  to  flicker  up  at  intervals,  like  a  lamp 
dying  out" 

The  baron  now  concluded  to  go  to  bed  again.  In  a 
dream,  the  same  figure  again  appeared  to  him.  It 
seemed  to  sit  down  on  the  side  of  the  bed,  and,  to  say 
to  him,  '•  Hitherto  you  have  not  believed  in  the  reality 
of  apparitions,  considering  them  only  the  recallings  of 
memory :  now,  since  you  have  seen  a  stranger,  you  can- 
not consider  it  the  reproduction  of  former  ideas." 

The  next  morning,  on  inquiring  of  the  wife  of  the 
concierge,  the  baron  learned  that  the  last  occupant  of 
the  apartments  had  died,  about  two  years  before,  in  the 
bed  he  now  occupied ;  and  the  woman's  description  of 
this  individual  corresponded  in  every  respect,  as  to  per- 
son, dress,  and  cane,  with  the  apparition.  The  woman 
also  stated  that  she  had  seen  the  same  figure  several 
times,  in  different  places,  and  that  a  maid-servant  had 


864  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

once  seen  it  on  the  stairs.  Finally,  the  daughter  of  the 
individual,  whose  appearance  was  seen,  caused  masses 
to  be  said  for  the  soul  of  her  father,  since  which,  as  al- 
leged, the  apparition  has  not  been  seen. 

As  the  baron  confirmed  the  narrative  of  the  cemetery 
of  Ahrensburg — occurrences  which  had  taken  place  ten 
years  previous — I  cannot  understand  why  this  old  gen- 
tleman considered  him  skeptical  upon  the  subject  of 
"  spirits." 

This  spirit  differed  from  all  others  described  in  Mr. 
Owen's  work  in  its  mode  of  making  itself  visible  to  per- 
sons of  our  world  ;  and,  while  in  some  narratives  it  is 
stated  that  the  spirit's  footsteps  could  be  heard  as  dis- 
tinctly as  those  of  an  individual  of  our  world,  in  this 
case  the  baron  heard  not  the  slightest  sound. 

As  the  baron  stated  that  he  had  previously  seen  ap- 
paritions, and,  also,  that  before  the  appearance  of  this 
one  he  experienced  several  electric  shocks,  I  might 
assume  that  this  narrative  did  not  conflict  with  my  ex- 
planations of  such  phenomena.  But,  as  my  object  is 
to  make  the  phenomena  understood,  I  feel  bound  to 
state  that  apparitions — such  as  are  actually  seen — are 
not  produced  as  here  represented.  The  baron's  descrip- 
tion meets  the  views  of  Spiritualists,  who  believe  the 
bodies  of  spirits  to  consist  of  attenuated  matter,  or  ether, 
and  that  they  have  the  power,  either  of  changing  this 
body  so  that  it  will  be  visible  to  us,  or  of  clothing  it  with 
another  body  formed  from  matter  of  our  world.  And 
the  intimation  that  the  spirit  was  quieted  by  the  per- 
formance of  masses,  agrees  with  the  popular  supersti- 
tion of  Catholic  countries.  Masses  would  have  no  more 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  365 

effect  toward   quieting  the   "spirits"  than   "Yankee 
Boodle  "  played  on  a  hand-organ. 

I  can  only  account  for  these  marvelous  stories  of  the 
de  Guldenstubbes  upon  the  supposition  that,  having 
a  passion  for  telling  "ghost-stories,"  they  constructed 
these  upon  some  slight  foundation.  They  cannot  be 
accounted  for  upon  the  supposition  that  these  two  per- 
sons were  wonderful  mediums ;  for,  in  all  three  of  the 
stories  it  is  stated  that  the  phenomena  were  witnessed 
by  others  when  they  were  not  present 

In  reference  to  this  last  narrative,  Mr.  Owen  says 
"  The  story  derives  much  of  its  value  from  the  calm 
and  dispassionate  manner  in  which  the  witness  appears 
to  have  observed  the  succession  of  phenomena,  and  the 
exact  details  which,  in  consequence,  he  has  been  enabled 
to  furnish."  This  refers,  I  suppose,  to  the  statement  of 
the  baron,  that  "He  experienced  little  or  no  alarm, 
being  chiefly  occupied  during  the  period  of  its  stay  in 
seeking  to  ascertain  whether  it  was  a  mere  hallucination 
or  an  objective  reality."  He  was  so  calm  that  he  picked 
up  a  Bible  and  read  a  verse  or  two,  to  ascertain  how 
strong  the  light  was ;  but,  although  the  figure  came 
close  to  him  eight  or  ten  times,  he  did  not  touch  it,  or 
attempt  to ;  which  would  have  shown  him  whether  it 
was,  or  was  not,  an  objective  reality,  the  point  he  was 
calmly  endeavoring  to  ascertain.  This  is  rather  absurd 

It  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  review  the  chapter 
on  "  Retribution,"  the  purport  of  which  is,  that  individu- 
als of  the  other  world  sometimes  punish,  or  persecute 
those  who  have  done  them  an  injury  before  their  death. 
As  they  frequently  annoy  those  who  have  done  them 


366  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

no  injury,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  they  some- 
times persecute  such  as  have.  The  only  reason  that 
such  persecutions  are  not  more  often  experienced  is,  the 
lack  of  ability  in  those  of  the  other  world  to  inflict 
them. 

In  opening  the  final  chapter  of  narratives,  which  is 
on  "  Guardianship,"  Mr.  Owen  says :  "  A  pleasanter 
task  remains  ;  to  speak,  namely,  of  the  indications  that 
reach  us  of  ultramundane  aid  and  spiritual' protection." 

Of  course,  with  the  knowledge  of  the  subject  which 
Mr.  Owen  has,  and  the  views  which  he  holds,  he  cannot 
discriminate,  on  this  point,  between  those  of  the  other 
world  who  produce  the  physical  phenomena  and  com- 
municate through  the  mediums,  and  those  who  can  do 
neither.  This  is  the  principal  difference  between  his 
views  and  my  own  upon  this  point ;  I  believe  that  any 
connection  with  the  former  class  is  far  from  desirable. 
That  the  latter  class  has  sometimes,  though  not  veiy 
often,  rendered  valuable  services  to  friends  in  our  world, 
I  readily  admit.  The  narrative  entitled  "  The  Negro 
Servant"  gives  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  kind;  and 
why  Mr.  Owen  has  not  placed  it  in  this  chapter,  in  pref- 
erence to  some  which  are  here,  I  cannot  understand. 

There  are  in  this  chapter  but  two  narratives  relating 
to  that  class  producing  the  physical  phenomena ;  and 
the  reader  shall  be  enabled  to  judge  for  himself  how 
far  these  indicate  "  ultramundane  aid  and  spiritual  pro- 
tection." 

"Gaspar." 
About  the  year  1820  an  English  family  were  residing 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  367 

in  France.  One  evening  the  father  saw,  enveloped  in 
a  large  cloak  and  seated  on  a  fragment  of  rock  a  few 
yards  from  the  door,  what  he  called  a  ghost ;  and  that 
night  noises  and  disturbances  similar  to  those  described 
in  the  narratives  on  "  hauntings,"  occurred  in  the  house. 
After  these  annoyances  had  continued  for  several  weeks, 
the  family,  as  stated,  became  able  to  hear  the  "  spirit " 
speak.  He  gave  his  name  as  Gaspar,  but  refused  to 
give  any  account  of  himself,  or  to  state  why  he  had 
annoyed  them,  or,  in  short,  what  he  wanted.  He  con- 
tinued with  the  family  while  they  remained  in  France — 
a  period  of  more  than  three  years — followed  them  when 
they  returned  to  England,  and  remained  with  them 
there  several  weeks,  when  he  left  them;  assigning  as 
a  reason  for  leaving  them,  that  harm  would  eo.ne  to 
them  if  he  communicated  with  them  in  England 

While  in  France  one  of  the  children — a  boy  aged 
about  twelve  years — said,  one  evening,  "  '  Gaspar.  I 
should  like  to  see  you ; '  to  which  the  voice  replied, 
4  You  shall  see  me.  I  will  meet  you  if  you  go  to  the 
farthest  side  of  the  square.'  He  went,  and  returned 
presently,  saying,  '  I  have  seen  Gaspar.  He  was  in  a 
large  cloak,  with  a  broad-brimmed  hat  I  looked  un- 
der the  hat,  and  he  smiled  upon  me.'  '  Yes,'  said  the 
voice,  joining  in, '  that  was  L' " 

.  On  one  occasion,  while  in  France,  the  father  was  ex- 
tremely desirous  to  recover  some  valuable  papers  which 
he  feared  might  have  been  lost  "Gaspar  told  him 
exactly  where  they  were,  in  our  old  house  in  Suffolk  ; 
and  there,  sure. enough,  in  the  very  place  he  designated, 
they  were  found." 

"  He  never  spoke  on  subjects  of  a  religious  nature  or 


368  MODEBN  DIABOLISM. 

tendency,  but  constantly  inculcated  Christian  morality, 
seeming  desirous  to  impress  upon  us  the  wisdom  of  vir- 
tue and  the  beauty  of  harmony  at  home.  Once,  when 
my  sister  and  myself  had  some  slight  dispute,  we  heard 

the  voice  saying,  '  M is  wrong ;  S is  right.' 

From  the  time  he  first  declared  himself  he  was  continu- 
ally giving  us  advice,  and  always  for  good." 

This  narrative  was  given  Mr.  Owen,  in  writing,  by 
Mr.  S.  C.  Hall,  of  England,  in  June,  1859.  Mr.  Hall  re- 
ceived the  account  the  same  year,  orally,  from  one  of 
the  daughters  of  the  family,  whom  be  accidentally  met ; 
and  he  states  that  he  gives  the  narrative  as  nearly  as  he 
can  in  the  lady's  words.  It  is  proper  to  state  that  Mr. 
Hall  is  known  as  a  Spiritualist ;  for  some  persons  al- 
ways wish  to  be  advised  upon  this  point  when  a  narra- 
tive of  the  kind  is  given. 

Nearly  forty  years,  then,  had  elapsed  between  the 
date  of  these  occurrences  and  their  recital  to  Mr.  Hall; 
and  the  latter  repeated  the  narrative  to  Mr.  Owen  from 
recollection.  "  Spirits  "  are  not  now,  in  America,  seen 
sitting  on  rocks ;  they  do  not,  when  performing  in  a 
room,  agree  to  show  themselves  if  one  of  the  party  will 
go  into  the  street ;  nor  can  they  talk  so  that  several 
persons  can  hear  them  at  the  same  time.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  their  powers  were  any  greater  forty  or  fifty 
years  ago,  in  France,  than  at  the  present  time  in  Amer- 
ica. This  is,  I  believe,  the  only  narrative  in  Mr.  Owen's 
work  in  which  it  is  stated  that  a  number  of  individuals 
could,  at  the  same  time,  hear  the  same  spirit  talk.  In 
a  narrative  entitled  "  The  Old  Kent  Manor-House  r  it 
is  stated,  that  "every  inmate  of  the  house  had  been 
more  or  less  disturbed  at  night — not  usually  during  the 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  369 

day — by  knockings  and  sounds  as  cf  footsteps,  but 
more  especially  by  voices  which  could  not  be  accounted 
for.  These  last  were  usually  heard  in  some  unoccupied 
adjoining  room ;  sometimes  as  if  talking  in  a  loud  tone, 
sometimes  as  if  reading  aloud,  occasionally  as  if  scream- 
ing." But,  on  reading  the  narrative  through,  it  appears 

that  only  one  individual  in  the  house — a  Miss  S ,  a 

visitor  who  "had  been  in  the  habit  of  seeing  appari- 
tions"— ever  understood  a  word  that  was  spoken.  It 
may  reasonably  be  assumed,  then,  that  the  others  heard 
only  noises  which  they  imagined  to  be  voices. 

But,  as  indicating  "  spiritual  protection,"  let  it  be 
assumed  that  this  narrative  of  "  Gaspar  "  is  literally  cor- 
rect. We  have,  then,  an  account  of  a  "  spirit "  entering 
a  house  and  alarming  the  family — disturbing  their  rest 
at  night  for  several  weeks — and,  when  able  to  commu- 
nicate, refusing  to  give  any  account  of  himself,  or  to 
explain  why  he  had  annoyed  them ;  giving,  however, 
good  advice,  and  jnculcating  Christian  morality.  What 
would  be  thought  of  an  individual  of  our  world  who 
should  take  the  same  course?  for  there  is  scarcely  a 
drunken  wretch  in  the  world  that  will  not  give  plenty 
of  good  advice,  and  preach  Christian  morality.  I  think 
no  one  but  a  Spiritualist  would  desire  such  companion- 
ship as  that  of  Gaspar. 

"  The  Rejected  Suitor." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W resided  in  England,  not  far  from 

London.  A  short  time  previous  to  the  date  of  the  fol- 
lowing occurrences,  an  aged  gentleman,  who  had  resided 
with  them  about  four  years,  died. 


370  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

Mrs.  W.  Lad  been  to  some  extent  interested  in  the 
subject  of  Spiritualism,  and  had,  on  one  or  two  occa- 
sions, held  her  'hand,  as  writing  mediums  do,  to  see  if 
the  "  spirits  "  would  write  with  it ;  and  "  a  few  unintel- 
ligible figures,  or  unimportant  words  "  written,  were  the 
result.  She  went  one  morning  into  the  garden,  feeling 
much  depressed  on  account  of  the  death  of  her  aged 
friend  ;  and  had  been  there  but  a  few  minutes,  when 
she  felt  a  strong  impulse  to  return  to  the  house  and 
write.* 

"  The  impulse  to  write  gradually  increasing,  and  at- 
tended with  a  nervous  and  uneasy  sensation  in  the  right 
arm,  became  so  strong  that  she  yielded  to  it ;  and,  re- 
turning to  the  house  and  picking  up  a  sheet  of  note- 
paper  and  a  small  portfolio,  she  sat  down  on  the  steps 
of  the  front  door,  put  the  portfolio  on  her  knee,  with 
the  sheet  of  note-paper  across  it,  and  placed  her  hand, 
with  a  pencil,  at  the  upper  left-hand  corner,  as  one  usu- 
ally begins  to  write.  After  a  time  the  hand  was  grad- 
ually drawn  to  the  lower  right-hand  corner,  and  began 
to  write  backward;  completing  the  first  line  near  the 
left-hand  edge  of  the  sheet,  then  commencing  a  second 
line,  and  finally  a  third,  both  on  the  right,  and  com- 
pleting the  writing  near  to  where  she  had  first  put  down 
her  pencil.  Not  only  was  the  last  letter  in  the  sentence 
written  first,  and  so  on  until  the  commencing  letter  was 
written  last,  but  each  separate  letter  was  written  back- 
ward, or  inversely ;  the  pencil  going  over  the  lines 
which  composed  each  letter  from  right  to  left. 

•  I  give  the  words  of  Mr.  Owen,  but  it  is  evident  from  what  fol- 
lows that  the  impulse  was  to  let  the  "  spirits  "  write. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  371 

"  Mrs.  W.  stated  to  me  that  (as  may  well  be  con- 
ceived) she  had  not  the  slightest  perception  of  what  her 
hand  was  writing ;  no  idea  passing  through  her  mind 
at  the  time.  When  her  hand  stopped,  she  read  the  sen- 
tence as  she  would  have  read  what  any  other  person 
had  written  for  her.  The  handwriting  was  cramped 
and  awkward,  but,  as  the  fac-simile*  will  show,  legible 
enough.  The  sentence  read  thus  : — '  Ye  are  sorrowing 
as  one  without  hope.  Cast  thy  burden  upon  God,  and  he 
will  help  thee:  " 

Mrs.  W.  placed  her  pencil  at  the  foot  of  the  paper, 
that  the  "  spirit "  might  subscribe  its  name — expecting 
the  name  of  her  aged  friend  to  be  given. 

"  The  event,  however,  wholly  belied  her  expectation. 
The  pencil,  again  drawn  nearly  to  the  right-hand  edge 
of  the  paper,  wrote,  backward  as  before,  not  the  ex- 
pected name,  but  the  initials  E.  Gr.  D." 

These  were  the  initials  of  a  gentleman  who,  eighteen 
years  before,  had  sought  her  in  marriage,  but  whom  she 
had  rejected ;  and  the  gentleman  had  died  about  six 
years  previous,  a  bachelor. 

"  This  occurred  on  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday,  March 
1,  1859.  A  little  more  than  a  month  afterward,  to  wit, 
on  Monday,  April  4,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
while  Mrs.  W.  was  sitting  in  her  parlor,  reading,  she 
suddenly  heard,  apparently  coming  from  a  small  side-ta- 
ble near  her,  three  distinct  raps.  She  listened ;  and  again 
there  came  the  same  sounds.  Still  uncertain  whethei 
it  might  not  be  some  accidental  knocking,  she  said,  '  If 


*  Fac-similes  of  this,  and  a  sentence  written  afterward,  are  given 
in  Mr.  Owen's  work. 


372  MODEEN  DIABOLISM. 

it  be  a  spirit  who  announces  himself,  will  he  repeat  the 
sound?'  "Whereupon  the  sounds  were  instantly  and 
still  more  distinctly  repeated :  and  Mrs.  W.  became  as- 
sured that  they  proceeded  from  the  side-table. 

"  She  then  said,  '  If  I  take  pencil  and  paper,  can  I  be 
informed  who  it  is  ? '  Immediately  there  were  three 
raps,  as  of  assent ;  and  when  she  sat  down  to  write,  her 
hand,  writing  backward,  formed  the  same  initials  as  be- 
fore— E.  Gr.  D.  Then  she  questioned,  '  For  what  pur- 
pose were  these  sounds  ?  '  To  which  the  reply,  again 
written  backward,  was,  '  To  show  you  that  we  are  think- 
ing and  working  for  you.1 " 

Ten  days  after  the  last  incident,  Mrs.  "W.,  happening 
to  recollect  that  E.  G.  D.  had  once  given  her  a  New- 
foundland dog,  thought  she  would  then  like  to  have 
such  an  animal,  and  said  to  a  servant  who  happened  to 
be  near,  "  I  wish  I  had  a  fine  large  Newfoundland  for 
a  walking  companion."  The  next  morning  a  gentleman 
from  a  neighboring  town,  whom  Mrs.  W.  did  not  remem- 
ber to  have  ever  before  seen,  brought  and  presented  to 
her  a  noble  black  Newfoundland  dog;  stating  as  his 
reason  for  doing  so,  that  he  did  not  intend  for  the  future 
to  keep  dogs,  and  that  he  felt  assured  that  in  Mrs.  "W". 
the  dog  would  find  a  kind  mistress.  Mrs~W.  stated 
that  she  had  ascertained,  to  an  absolute  certainty,  that 
the  girl  to  whom  she  had  spoken  on  the  matter  had  not 
mentioned  to  any  one  her  wish  to  have  a  dog. 

The  foregoing  is  all  there  is  of  the  narrative.  It  was 
communicated  to  Mr.  Owen  by  Mrs.  W.  a  few  days  after 
the  occurrence  of  the  last  incident 

The  result,  then,  of  the  "  thinking  and  working  "  of 
the  spirits  for  a  period  of  about  six  weeks,  was  the  gift 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  373 

of  a  Newfoundland  dog ;  that  is,  assuming  that  this  pre- 
sentation was  brought  about  by  them.  People  of  our 
world  can  employ  their  time  to  better  advantage. 

In  reference  to  the  ungrammatical  construction  of  the 
sentence,  "Ye  are  sorrowing  as  one  without  hope," 
Mr.  Owen  says :  "  If  I  am  asked  whence  this  error  in 
the  grammatical  construction  of  the  sentence,  I  reply 
that  I  can  no  more  account  for  it  than  I  can  for  the 
writing  itself.  No  one  could  write  more  correctly  or 
grammatically  than  does  Mrs.  W.  It  was  not  through 
her,  therefore,  as  in  the  case  of  an  illiterate  scribe  we 
might  have  imagined  it,  that  the  error  occurred.  Its 
occurrence  is  additional  proof  that  her  mind  had  no 
agency  in  the  matter;  though  it  would  probably  be 
stretching  conjecture  too  far  to  imagine  that  it  was  so 
intended." 

Yes,  I  should  say  that  would  be  stretching  conjecture 
rather  too  far ;  and  the  bare  suggestion  shows  how  ready 
Spiritualists  are  to  be  deceived  by  the  "  spirits."  "Why 
not  apply  the  same  rule  to  the  communications  of 
"  spirits  "  as  to  those  of  our  world,  and  assume,  in  such 
a  case,  that  the  writing  is  by  some  ignorant  creature  ? 

Mrs.  W.  had  been  investigating  Spiritualism ;  had 
held  her  arm,  in  a  passive  condition,  for  the  purpose  of 
having  "  spirits  "  write  with  it ;  and,  like  all  other  me- 
diums, had  some  low  being  en  rapport  with  her,  who,  in 
some  way — probably  from  her  mind — had  learned  the 
name  of  her  late  suitor.  Mrs.  W.  assured  Mr.  Owen 
that  she  could  not  recollect  having  thought  of  the  gen- 
tleman for  several  years  previous  to  the  occurrence  ;  but 
it  would  be  very  strange  if  she  had  not ;  and  a  name 
very  familiar  occurs  to  the  mind  without  producing  any 


374  MODERN   DIABOLISM. 

decided  impression ;  so  that  afterward  we  have  no  rec- 
ollection of  having  thought  of  it 

Although  Mr.  Owen  has  doubts  as  to  whether  the 
error  in  the  grammatical  construction  of  the  sentence 
was  from  design,  he  has  none  whatever  as  to  the  object 
of  the  "  spirit "  in  writing  backward.  He  says: 

"Whence,  again,  the  writing  backward?  In  that 
the  will  had  no  agency.  As  little  had  expectation. 
Mrs.  W.,  in  her  normal  state,  had  not  the  power  so  to 
write.  By  diligent  practice  she  might,  doubtless,  have 
acquired  it  But  she  had  no  such  practice.  She  had 
not  acquired  it  And,  not  having  acquired  it,  it  was  as 
much  a  physical  impossibility  for  her,  of  herself,  so  to 
write,  as  for  a  man,  picking  up  a  violin  for  the  first 
time,  to  execute  thereon,  at  sight,  some  elaborate  passage 
from  Handel  or  Beethoven. 

"  Again,  whence  the  intention  to  write  after  so  unex- 
ampled and  impracticable  a  manner  ?  Where  there  is 
an  intention  there  must  be  an  intelligence.  It  was  not 
Mrs.  W.  who  intended ;  for  the  result  struck  her  with 
awe — almost  with  consternation.  It  was  not  her  intel- 
ligence, therefore,  that  acted.  What  intelligence  was  it? 
•  *  "  Nor  can  we  reasonably  doubt  what  the  intention 
was.  Had  Mrs.  W.'s  hand  written  forward,  she  would, 
in  all  probability,  have  remained  in  uncertainty  whether, 
half  unconsciously  perhaps,  the  words  were  not  of  her 
own  dictation.  The  expedient  of  the  backward  writing 
precluded  any  such  supposition ;  for  she  could  not  of 
herself  do  unconsciously  a  thing  which  she  could  not 
do  at  all  And  this  expedient  seems  to  have  been  in- 
geniously Revised  to  cut  off  any  supposition  of  the  kind. 
Then  here  we  have  the  invention  of  an  expedient,  the 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  375 

display  of  ingenuity.  But  who  is  the  inventor?  Who 
displays  the  ingenuity  ?  I  confess  my  inability  to  an- 
swer these  questions." 

There  was  no  ingenuity  of  the  kind  exercised.  The 
invisible  being  wrote  backward,  or  from  right  to  left, 
solely  because  it  was  easier  for  him  to  write  thus  than 
from  left  to  right.  I  have  explained  this  matter  in  the 
proper  chapter. 

If  these  two  narratives  are  not  the  only  ones  of  the 
kind  that  Mr.  Owen  has  been  able  to  procure,  we  may 
assume  that  thejr  are,  in  his  opinion,  the  most  convincing. 
"We  have,  then,  as  instances  of  "ultramundane  aid  and 
spiritual  protection  "  by  such  of  the  invisible  world  as 
can  produce  the  physical  phenomena,  the  good  advice 
of  Gaspar,  after  annoying  the  family  for  several  weeks, 
and  the  gift  of  a  Newfoundland  dog.  The  ultramun- 
dane aid  does  not  appear  to  be  very  valuable,  even  upon 
the  assumption  that  this  gift  of  a  dog  was  owing  to 
the  influence  of  the  "spirits."  But,  as  the  dog  was 
brought  on  the  morning  succeeding  the  afternoon  on 
which  Mrs.  "W.  felt  a  desire  for  one,  and  by  a  gentleman 
living  in  a  neighboring  town  who  had  decided  not  to 
keep  dogs,  most  persons  will  conclude,  I  think,  that  the 
gentleman  had  formed  the  determination  to  give  her  the 
dog  before  she  expressed  her  wish  for  one,  and,  conse- 
quently, that  the  "  spirits  "  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
gift 

I  will  copy  from  this  chapter  one  narrative  showing, 
as  I  believe,  good  accomplished  through  the  agency  of 
a  dream,  or,  of  impressions,  produced  in  an  individual 
of  our  world  by  one  of  the  invisible  world,  who  could 
communicate  in  no  other  way.  The  following  narrative 


376  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

I  have  read  in  a  work  by  Kev.  Dr.  Bushnell,  entitled 
"  Nature  and  the  Supernatural,"  from  which  Mr.  Owen 
has  taken  it: 

"  Help  Amid  the  Snow-Drifts.'1 

" '  As  I  sat  by  the  fire,  one  stormy  November  night, 
in  a  hotel  parlor,  in  the  Napa  Valley  of  California,  there 
came  in  a  most  venerable  and  benignant-looking  person, 
with  his  wife,  taking  their  seats  in  the  circle.  The 
stranger,  as  I  afterward  learned,  was  Captain  Yount,  a 
man  who  came  over  into  California,  as  a  trapper,  more 
than  forty  years  ago.  Here  he  has  lived,  apart  from  the 
great  world  and  its  questions,  acquiring  an  immense 
landed  estate,  and  becoming  a  kind  of  acknowledged 
patriarch  in  the  country.  His  tall,  manly  person,  and 
his  gracious,  paternal  look,  as  totally  unsophisticated 
in  the  expression  as  if  he  had  never  heard  of  a  philo- 
sophic doubt  or  question  in  his  life,  marked  him  as  the 
true  patriarch.  The  conversation  turned,  I  know  not 
how,  on  spiritism  and  the  modern  necromancy ;  and  he 
discovered  a  degree  of  inclination  to  believe  in  the  re- 
ported mysteries.  His  wife,  a  much  younger  and  ap- 
parently Christian  person,  intimated  that  probably  he 
was  predisposed  to  this  kind  of  faith  by  a  very  peculiar 
experience  of  his  own,  and  evidently  desired  that  he 
might  be  drawn  out  by  some  intelligent  discussion  of 
his  queries. 

"  '  At  my  request  he  gave  me  his  story.  About  six 
or  seven  years  previous,  in  a  mid-winter's  night,  he  had 
a  dream  in  which  he  saw  what  appeared  to  be  a  com- 
pany of  emigrants  arrested  by  the  snows  of  the  .moun- 


REVIEW  OP  NARRATIVES.  377 

tains  and  perishing  rapidly  by  cold  and  hunger.  He 
noted  the  very  cast  of  the  scenery,  marked  by  a  huge 
perpendicular  front  of  white  rock  cliff;  he  saw  the  men 
cutting  off  what  appeared  to  be  tree-tops  rising  out  of 
deep  gulfs  of  snow  ;  he  distinguished  the  very  features 
of  the  persons  and  the  look  of  their  particular  distress. 
He  woke  profoundly  impressed  with  the  distinctness 
and  apparent  reality  of  his  dream.  At  length  he  fell 
asleep  and  dreamed  exactly  the  same  dream  again.  In 
the  morning  he  could  not  expel  it  from  his  mind.  Fall- 
ing in,  shortly,  with  an  old  hunter  comrade,  he  told  him 
the  story,  and  was  only  the  more  deeply  impressed  by 
his  recognizing,  without  hesitation,  the  scenery  of  the 
dream.  This  comrade  had  come  over,  the  Sierra  by  the 
Carson  Valley  Pass,  and  declared  that  a  spot  in  the  pass 
answered  exactly  to  his  description.  By  this  the  unso- 
phisticated patriarch  was  decided.  He  immediately  col- 
lected a  company  of  men  with  mules  and  blankets  and 
all  necessary  provisions.  The  neighbors  were  laughing, 
meantime,  at  his  credulity.  "  No  matter,"  said  he :  k'  I 
am  able  to  do  this,  and  I  will ;  for  I  verily  believe  that 
the  fact  is  according  to  my  dream."  The  men  were  sent 
into  the  mountains,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant, 
directlv  to  the  Carson  Valley  Pass.  And  there  they 
found  the  company  in  exactly  the  condition  of  the 
dream,  and  brought  in  the  remnant  alive.' 

"  Dr.  Bushnell  adds,  that  a  gentleman  present  said  to 
him,  '  You  need  have  no  doubt  of  this ;  for  we  Califor- 
nians  all  know  the  facts  and  the  names  of  the  families 
brought  in,  who  now  look  upon  our  venerable  friend  as 
a  kind  of  Savior.'  These  names  he  gave,  together  with 
the  residences  of  each  ;  and  Dr.  Bushnell  avers  that  he 


378  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

found  the  Californians  everywhere  ready  to  second  the 
old  man's  testimony.  '  Nothing  could  be  more  natural, ' 
continues  the  doctor, '  than  for  the  good-hearted  patri- 
arch himself  to  add  that  the  brightest  thing  in  his  life, 
and  that  which  gave  him  the  greatest  joy,  was  his  sim- 
ple faith  in  that  dream.'  " 

Had  the  facts  been,  simply,  that  Captain  Yount,  in  a 
winter's  night,  dreamed  that  a  party  of  emigrants  were 
perishing  in  the  snows  of  the  mountains,  and  it  was 
afterward  learned  that  such  a  party  were  thus  perishing 
at  the  time  of  the  dream,  the  coincidence  might  reason- 
ably be  considered  accidental,  for  both  the  dream  and 
the  fact  would  be  events  likely  to  occur.  But,  in  this 
case,  peculiar  scenery,  which  he  had  never  seen,  was 
presented  to  the  dreamer's  vision  so  distinctly  and  cor- 
rectly that  another  person  recognized  the  description  as 
being  that  of  a  certain  spot  which  he  had  seen  ;  and  the 
emigrants  were  found- at  this  precise  spot.  This  is  not 
all ;  exactly  the  same  dream  was  repeated — which  is 
very  unusual  in  the  case  of  natural  dreams — and  the 
impression  made  upon  the  dreamer  was  so  great  that  it 
induced  -him  to  send,  at  considerable  expense,  a  rescu- 
ing party  to  a  spot  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant 
I  do  not  believe  that  a  dream  occurring  from  ordinary 
causes  would  have  such  an  effect;  assuming  that  the 
dreamer  was  of  sound  mind. 

This  dream  could  not  have  been  produced  by  the 
action  of  the  mind  of  one  of  the  emigrants  upon  that  of 
Captain  Yount;  for  it  appears  that  the  party  were  all 
strangers  to  him ;  besides,  the  dream  would  not,  prob- 
ably, have  been  repeated  from  such  a  cause.  As  the 
narrative  appears  to  be  authenticated  beyond  reasonable 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  379 

question,  I  believe  the  dream  to  have  been  produced  by 
a  being  of  the  other  world.  The  vision,  it  will  be  ob- 
served, differed  entirely  from  those  narrated  by  Captain 
Norway  and  Captain  Clarke.  There  was  no  long-con- 
tinued succession  of  events,  lasting  through  a  consider- 
able interval  of  time,  presented  to  the  mental  vision  of 
Captain  Yount ;  all  that  he  perceived  might  have  been 
the  impression  of  a  moment  It  is  hardly  necessary 
to  state  that  this  narrative  is  far  better  authenticated 
than  the  two  others  referred  to. 

The  attempt  to  produce  such  an  impression  may 
have  been,  and  probably  was,  made  with  a  number  of 
individuals  before  success  crowned  the  effort.  Dr. 
Bushnell's  decription  of  Captain  Yount  conveys  the 
idea  of  a  susceptible  person.  The  effort  of  the  invisible 
being  would  not  cease  with  the  production  of  the  dream. 
The  influence  upon  the  mind  of  Captain  Yount,  ac- 
quired while  he  was  asleep,  was,  undoubtedly,  continued 
until  he  sent  the  rescuing  party ;  and  this  explains  his 
extraordinary  action. 

Now,  those  of  the  other  world  able  to  produce  the 
physical  phenomena,  and  communicate  at  any  time 
through  mediums,  have  been  in  daily  communication 
with  our  world  for  the  past  twenty  years;  and  yet, 
during  all  this  time  they  have  not  done  as  much  good 
as  was  accomplished  by  this  dream.  In  fact,  I  have 
been  unable  to  learn  of  a  single  well-authenticated  in- 
stance of  substantial  benefit  conferred  by  the  class  re- 
ferred to,  or  by  communication  through  a  medium. 

But  the  instances  of  annoyance  by  this  class  are  nu- 
merous ;  several  instances  of  the  kind  being  given  in 
Mr.  Owen's  work ;  and  the  use  of  the  electricity  of  an 


380  MODEKN  DIABOLISM. 

individual  of  our  world,  in  the  production  of  the  phe- 
nomena is,  in  itself,  a  positive  and  serious  injury  to  the 
individual.  The  mediums  for  the  production  of  these 
phenomena,  so  far  as  I  have  information,  universally 
complain  of  poor  health. 

It  here  occurs  to  me  that  before  closing  my  review 
of  this  work,  it  may  be  well  to  make  a  few  remarks 
relative  to  the  last  narrative;  and  having  a  bearing 
upon  the  whole  subject. 

Some  of  my  readers  may  have  read  the  work  of  Dr. 
Bushnell ;  others  may  have  seen  reviews  of  it ;  and 
those  not  inclined  to  belief  in  the  supernatural  may  con- 
clude the  credulity  of  Dr.  Bushnell  is  such  that  he  is 
very  poor  authority  for  any  narrative  of  the  kind. 

There  is  no  more  coincidence  between  the  views  of 
Dr.  Bushnell  and  my  own,  than  between  those  of  the 
former  and  the  most  sceptical  (in  reference  to  this  whole 
.subject)  individual  living.  In  fact,  his  explanation — if 
it  can  properly  be  called  such — of  this  very  narrative, 
differs  entirely  from  that  I  have  given.  In  reference  to 
it  he  says : 

"Let  any  one  attempt  now  to  account  for  the  coinci- 
dences of  that  dream  by  mere  natural  causalities,  and 
he  will  be  glad  enough  to  ease  his  labor  by  the  acknowl- 
edgment of  a  supernatural  Providence." 

In  short,  Dr.  Bushnell  believes  it  was  a  miracle; 
though  why  a  miracle  should  have  been  performed  in 
this  case,  and  not  in  thousands  of  other  similar  ones,  he 
does  not  attempt  to  explain.  Without  discussing  this 
question,  I  feel  bound  to  state,  after  reading  Dr.  Bush- 
nell's  work,  and  especially  the  chapter  headed,  "Mir- 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  381 

acles  and  Spiritual  Gifts  not  Discontinued,"  from  which 
the  above  narrative  is  taken,  that  if  we  were  obliged  to 
rely  upon  his  judgment  for  the  authenticity  of  the  nar- 
rative, I  should  not  think  of  citing  it  But  I  endeavor 
to  discriminate,  by  the  use  of  my  own  judgment,  between 
authentic  and  fictitious  narratives ;  and  all  I  ask  of  the 
reader  is,  that  he  will  do  the  same.  To  show  that  this 
is  not,  in  most  cases,  so  very  difficult,  I  will  copy  from 
Dr.  Bushnell's  work  a  narrative  immediately  following 
that- of  Captain  Yount 

"  I  fell  in,  also,  in  that  new  wo»ld,  with  a  different 
and  more  directly  Christian  example,  in  the  case  of  an 
acquaintance  whom  I  had  known  for  the  last  twenty 
years ;  an  educated  man  in  successful 'practice  as  a  phy- 
sician ;  a  man  who  makes  no  affectations  of  piety,  and 
puts  on  no  airs  of  sanctimony  ;  living  always  in  a  kind  of 
jovial  element,  and  serving  everybody  but  himself.  He 
laughs  at  the  current  incredulity  of  men  respecting  prayer, 
and  relates  many  instances,  out  of  his  own  experience, 
to  show — for  that  is  his  doctrine — that  God  will  cer- 
tainly hear  every  man's  prayer,  if  only  he  is  honest  in 
it  Among  others,  he  gave  the  following: — He  had 
hired  his  little  house,  of  one  room,  in  a  new  trading 
town  that  was  planted  last  year,  agreeing  to  give  a  rent 
for  it  of  ten  dollars  per  month.  At  length,  on  the  day 
preceding  the  rent  day,  he  found  that  he  had  nothing  in 
hand  to  meet  the  payment,  and  could  not  see  at  all 
whence  the  money  was  to  come.  Consulting  with  his 
wife,  they  agreed  that  prayer,  so  often  tried,  was  their 
only  hope.  They  went,  accordingly,  to  prayer,  and 
found  assurance  that  their  want  should  be  supplied. 
That  was  the  end  of  their  trouble,  and  there  they  rested, 


382  MODERN  DIABOLISY. 

dismissing  further  concern.  But  the  morning  came, 
and  the  money  did  not.  The  rent  owner  made  his  ap- 
pearance earlier  than  usual.  As  he  entered  the  door, 
their  hearts  began  to  sink,  whispering  that  now,  for 
once,  they  must  give  it  up,  and  allow  that  prayer  had 
failed.  But  before  the  demand  was  made,  a  neighbor 
coming  in  called  out  the  untimely  visitor,  engaging  him 
in  conversation  a  few  minutes  at  the  door.  Meantime 
a  stranger  carne  in,  saying,  'Dr. I  owe  you  ten  dol- 
lars for  attending  me  in  a  fever  at  such  a  time,  and  here 
is  the  money.'  He^ould  muster  no  recollection  either 
of  the  man  or  of  the  service,  but  was  willing  to  be  con- 
vinced, and  so  had  the  money  in  hand,  after  all,  when 
the  demand  was  made." 

Let  us  assume,  as  I  think  we  may,  that  the  veracity 
of  Dr.  Bushnell  is  not  to  be  questioned.  The  circum- 
stances stated  in  Captain  Yount's  narrative — with  the 
exception  of  the  dream — must,  if  they  occurred,  have 
been  generally  known  throughout  the  vicinity.  Dr. 
Bushnell  states  that  they  were  known,  as  he  ascertained. 
The  only  question  then  is,  whether  Captain  Yount  sent 
the  rescuing  party  in  consequence  of  a  dream.  Dr. 
Bushnell  omits  to  state  whether  he  conversed  with  any 
of  the  neighbors  who  laughed  at  the  credulity  of  Cap- 
tain Yount  in  fitting  out  an  expedition  upon  the  im- 
pulse of  a  dream.  But  how  could  the  situation  of  the 
emigrants  have  become  known  to  Captain  Yount  through 
any  ordinary  channel  ?  If  one  or  more  of  the  emigrants 
had  succeeded  in  getting  through,  or  if  any  other  indi- 
vidual had  arrived  through  the  pass  and  reported  the 
situation,  the  fact  would  have  been  known  to  other  Cali- 
fornians.  In  short,  the  circumstances  did  occur  as 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  383 

stated,  or  Dr.  Buslinell  is  not  a  man  of  common  ve- 
racity. 

Let  us  now  examine  the  story  of  the  physician  ;  for 
which  there  is  no  corroborating  testimony.  The  practice 
of  the  physician  was,  at  the  time,  so  small  that  he  was 
obliged  to  hire  a  house  of  only  one  room,  at  a  rent  of 
ten  dollars  per  month,  and  was  unable  to  pay  even  that 
amount  Yet,  according  to  his  story,  he  had  attended 
a  man  through  a  fever  without  having  any  recollection 
of  the  fact ;  and,  which  is  still  more  incredible,  he  could 
not  recollect  having  attended  the  man  after  the  latter 
called  on  him  and  stated  the  fact ;  and  had,  as  it  ap- 
pears, no  charge  against  the  patient  on  his  books.  Such 
an  instance  never  occurred ;  not  even  with  a  physician 
of  the  largest  practice.  Besides,  how  could  the  man 
have  known,  or  assumed,  without  making  the  inquiry, 
that  he  owed  the  physician  just  ten  dollars?  Setting 
aside  altogether  the  question  of  miracles,  the  story  is  an 
utterly  absurd  one.  And  look  at  the  character  of  the 
narrator.  He  stated  that  he  could,  at  any  time,  get 
whatever  he  wanted  by  praying  for  it  Every  one  of 
common  sense  knows  that  this  was  false ;  and  knows, 
therefore,  that  the  man  was  a  liar  or  a  fool. 

But  what  I  wish  more  particularly  to  point  out  is, 
that  if  we  reject  the  narrative  of  Captain  Yount,  we 
must  impeach  the  veracity  of  Dr.  Bushnell ;  while  in  re- 
jecting that  of  the  physician,  we  only  doubt  the  sound- 
ness of  his  judgment  as  to  the  character  of  the  narrator. 

The  accounts  of  apparitions  which  I  have  taken  from 
Mr.  Owen's  work,  I  have  treated  as  having  been  merely 
instances  of  hallucination.  But  in  "  Explanations  of 


384  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

Phenomena,"  I  have  stated  that  it  was  possible  for  those 
of  the  other  world  to  produce  a  tangible  apparition — 
one  that  could  be  actually  seen  and  felt ;  that  is.  that 
a  dress  and  mask,  originally  invisible  to  us,  could  be 
made  visible  and  sensible  to  the  touch.  Mr.  Owen's  work 
does  not  contain  a  narrative  which  I  feel  fully  warranted 
in  citing  as  an  instance  of  this  kind ;  I  will,  therefore, 
take  such  from  another  work. 

In  the  London  Spiritual  Magazine,  a  monthly  publi- 
cation, I  find  the  correspondence — including  extracts 
from  the  diary — of  a  gentleman  residing  in  New  York. 
The  name  of  the  gentleman  is  not  here  given  ;  but  as, 
since  the  publication  of  this  correspondence,  it  has  been 
given — presumably  with  the  assent  of  the  gentleman — 
in  at  least  two  works,  there  would  be  no  propriety  in 
my  withholding  such  a  voucher  for  the  truth  of  the 
accounts.  The  author  of  the  correspondence,  then,  is 
Mr.  0.  F.  Livermore,*  late  of  the  well-known  banking- 
house  of  Livermore,  Clews  &  Co. 

The  correspondence  appears  to  have  been  carried  on 
for  several  years.  When  it  commenced,  or  when  Mr. 
Livermore  commenced  his  investigations,  I  do  not  know ; 

*  I  would  here  state— and  I  intend  to  be  very  guarded  in  state- 
ments of  this  kind— that  the  full  name  was  given  me  by  my  invis- 
ible informants  when  writing  the  former  work.  I  have  no  acquaint- 
ance with  Mr.  Livermore,  and  never,  to  my  knowledge,  ever  saw 
him  ;  the  banking-house  having  been  organized  about  the  time  I 
left  New  York.  And  until  the  name  was  thus  given  me,  I  had  never 
heard  that  he  was  interested  in  Spiritualism.  It  was  not  until  some 
time — I  think  at  least  a  year — after  the  name  was  given  me,  that  I 
learned  it  was  the  correct  one.  I  mention  this  to  show  how  gener- 
ally extraordinary  occurrences  of  this  kind  are  known  in  the  other 
world;  and  also  as  in  some  measure  a  voucher  that  my  informants 
know  how  these  apparitions  were  produced. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  385 

but  I  find  it  stated  in  a  letter  dated,  "  New  York,  March 
17,  1862,"  that  success  "  only  crowned  months  of  pa 
tient  watching."  The  medium  for  the  production  of 
these  apparitions  was  Miss  Fox.  How  often,  during 
these  months,  Mr.  Livermore  sat  with  Miss  Fox  for  the 
purpose,  is  not  stated ;  but  I  infer  from  subsequent  cor- 
respondence that  they  sat  at  least  once  every  week,  and 
during  some  weeks  oftener.  Mr.  Livermore,  then,  sat, 
by  direction  of  the  "  spirits,"  with  the  same  medium — 
an  excellent  one  for  the  purpose — at  least  once  a  week 
for  several  months  before  he  witnessed  an  apparition. 
Evidently,  these  apparitions  must  have  been  of  a  differ 
ent  character  from  those  I  have  considered  hallucina- 
tions. 

I  have  before  me  the  number  of  the  Magazine  for 
January,  1866,  from  which  I  will  give  a  few  extracts. 
As  Mr.  Livermore  had  been  sitting  with  Miss  Fox  for 
several  years,  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  invisible  beings 
would  have  their  materials  and  arrangements  for  pro- 
ducing the  phenomena  perfected  as  far  as  possible. 

In  explanation  of  the  following  letter,  it  is  stated  that 
Mr.  Livermore  first  met  the  lady  (called  Estelle)  who 
became  his  wife,  at  Baden-Baden,  in  the  year  1851.  In 
the  summer  of  1865  Mr.  Livermore  was  again  at  Ba- 
den-Baden, his  wife  having  in  the  meantime  died ; 
and  he  happened  to  occupy  the  same  room  that  Estelle 
occupied  when  he  first  met  her.  When  in  London,  on 
his  way  home,  he  mentioned  the  incident  to  Mr.  Cole- 
man,  author  of  a  work  from  which  I  have  given  an  ex- 
tract in  the  chapter  on  "  Modern  Spiritualism ;  "  and  Mr. 
Coleman  suggested  that  Mr.  Livermore  should,  on  his 
return  home,  make  the  circumstance  a  test  as  to  the 


386  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

identity  of  Estelle  with  the  apparition  which  had  fre- 
quently appeared  to  him,  claiming  to  be  her. 

"  NEW  YORK,  November  20th,  1865. 

"  Mr  DEAR  MR.  COLEMAN  : — You  will  no  doubt  be 
interested  to  learn  that  my  first  spiritual  manifestation 
since  my  return  from  Europe  was  in  my  own  house, 
in  the  presence  of  Dr.  Gray,*  and  resulted  in  the  tan- 
gible, real,  visible  presence  of  my  wife  in  my  own  room, 
where  there  could  by  no  possibility  have  been  any  other 
persons  than  Dr.  Gray,  the  medium,  and  myseli  This 
was  on  Friday  evening,  November  10th,  1865. 

"  The  atmosphere  was  moderately  electrical,  cold  and 
overcast  The  medium  and  Dr.  Gray  having  called  to 
see  me,  we  determined  to  have  a  sitting  in  a  room  up- 
stairs, there  being  no  persons  in  the  house  but  the 
servants,  who  were  three  flights  below.  The  door  was 
carefully  locked,  and  after  seating  ourselves  at  the  table 
in  the  middle  of  the  room  I  turned  out  the  gas.  In 
about  fifteen  minutes  a  spirit-light  rose  from  the  floor 
on  the  side  of  the  table  opposite  to  the  medium,  and 
after  describing  a  semicircle  over  and  above  the  table 
three  times  consecutively,  it  rested  upon  Dr.  Gray's 
head  and  disappeared.  The  medium  and  myself  were 
then  requested  to  stand  up.  Upon  our  doing  so  the  light 
again  made  its  appearance  between  us  and  the  window, 
pressing  us  back  a  little,  as  though  to  give  it  more 
room.  Vigorous  rustlings  succeeded  this  movement, 
and  the  next  instant  the  figure  of  my  wife  stood  before 
us,  holding  a  single  flower  in  her  hand,  with  every 

*  A  physician  and  prominent  Spiritualist  of  New  York. 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  387 

feature  radiant,  and  vividly  visible.  She  was  dressed 
in  white  gossamer,  which  enveloped  her  head,  a  trans- 
parent veil  falling  just  before  her  right  eye,  but  thrown 
back.  The  veil  was  subsequently  removed  altogether. 
Her  dres3,  or  robe,  was  carefully  plaited  around  the 
neck,  but  with  that  exception  it  was  loose  and  flowing. 
It  was  of  thicker  material  than  that  about  her  head, 
and  seemed  to  be  of  the  texture  of  silk  and  gossamer. 
As  Dr.  Gray  was  seated  during  this  time  (we  standing 
between  him  and  the  spirit),  he  saw  only  the  light  and 
drapery  as  she  came  and  glided  away,  which  she  did 
five  or  six  times  during  a  period  of  about  three-quarters 
of  an  hour.  For  some  cause  unknown  to  me,  the  spirit 
could  not  on  this  occasion  remain  visible  to  me  when 
Dr.  Gray  approached. 

"You  will,  perhaps,  remember  a  suggestion  you 
made  to  me  in  London,  that  upon  my  return  I  should 
make  certain  interesting  circumstances  which  occurred 
to  me  on  the  Continent,  the  subject  of  a  spiritual  test 
I  am  happy  to  say  that  it  has  been  done  with  a  most 
satisfactory  result  I  had  mentioned  the  circumstances 
to  no  one  on  this  side  of  the  ocean.  At  a  second  seance 
two  days  after  that  which  I  have  just  described,  I  ap- 
plied the  test  as  follows : — I  wrote  two  questions  with- 
out the  medium's  knowledge.  The  questions  and 
answers  were  as  follows : 

"  '  MY  DEAR  WIFE  :— I  desire  you  this  morning  to 
write  me  a  word  about  your  appearance  on  Friday 
night  last,  also  something  in  reference  to  the  interesting 
circumstance  now  on  my  mind,  which  occurred  on  the 
Continent  during  my  last  visit  to  Europe,'  .^ir 


388  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

."  Answer  (written  on  a  card  by  the  spirit) : 

"  '  MY  DEAR  HUSBAND  : — I  was  most  happy  to  come 
to  you  in  form  in  our  own  house.  It  gave  me  joy 
greater  than  words  can  express.  The  next  time  I  wish 
to  wear  a  different  dress — one  entirely  covered  with 
violets  and  roses,  so  that  you  may  perfectly  see  their 
color.  I  was  with  you  at  Baden-Baden,  and  saw  your 
thoughts  of  me  while  there.  I  was  very  near  you — as 
near  as  at  the  time  when  I  there  promised  to  be  yours 
forever.  I  was  near  you  when  this  thought  came.  I 
heard  the  echo  go  forth  from  your  heart,  and  my  spirit 
was  drawn  at  once  to  your  side.  Sacred  memories  are 
attached  to  that  place.  Do  you  remember,  dear  Charles, 
how  happy  we  both  were  then  ?  Be  happy  now,  for  I 
am  ever  near  you. 

"  '  BSTELLE.' " 

I  give  this  "  test,"  which  Mr.  Livermore  thought 
"  most,  satisfactory,"  and  which  is  as  satisfactory  as  any 
I  have  seen  in  the  correspondence,  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  what  evidence — aside  from  the  resemblance — he 
had  that  the  apparition  was  his  wife.  If  the  "  spirit " 
was  unable  to  read  his  mind  she  could  not  have  known 
what  was  on  his  mind,  or  what  the  question  referred  to. 
If  she  could  read  his  mind  the  question  was,  of  course, 
no  test  at  all.  But  the  "spirit"  stated  that  she  could, 
and  did  at  Baden-Baden,  perceive  his  thoughts ;  that  is, 
she  saw  them,  and  heard  the  echo  of  one  go  forth  from  his 
heart.  It  is  not  easy  to  understand  how  any  sane 
man  could  consider  this  a  test  of  identity,  but  it  is  a 
very  fair  sample  of  the  tests  generally  instituted  by 
Spiritualists. 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  389 

' ' 'Extracts from  Diary.  First  evening : — Cold  and  clear. 
A  bright  fire  was  burning  in  the  grate.  I  turned  the 
gas  down  partially,  but  still  sufficient  to  make  all  ob- 
jects distinctly  visible.  I  then  opened  the  table  about 
six  inches  in  the  middle,  placing  a  large  musical  box 
across  one  side,  and  the  table-cover  across  the  other, 
leaving  an  opening  of  about  six  inches  square  in  the 
centre.  After  a  few  minutes  a  white  fleshy  hand  rose, 
pointing  its  fingers  upward  through  this  opening.  A 
snow-white  envelope  encircled  it  from  the  wrist  down- 
ward. It  was  natural  in  shape,  size,  and  color.  A  few 
moments  elapsed,  when  the  hand  again  made  its  appear- 
ance, but  now  held  a  flower,  which,  with  its  stem,  was 
about  three  inches  in  length.  I  reached  out  my  hand 
to  touch  it,  and  the  instant  it  came  in  contact  with  the 
flower  there  was  a  snap,  like  the  discharge  of  electricity. 
By  request  I  now  turned  up  the  gas,  making  the  room 
fully  light.  The  hand  again  rose,  holding  the  flower, 
which  it  placed  upon  a  sheet  of  white  paper  which  I  had 
placed  next  the  opening.  I  lifted  the  paper  and  exam- 
ined the  flower,  which  was  to  all  appearance  a  lovely 
pink  rose-bud,  with  green  leaves.  Miss  Fox  took  it  in 
her  fingers  and  held  it  up  for  examination.  It  was 
damp,  cold,  and  glutinbus.  As  expressions  of  dissatis- 
faction, from  the  unseen  agents  of  this  wonder,  were  here 
manifested,  she  replaced  the  flower  upon  the  paper,  when 
the  hand  rose,  seized  and  took  it  away  instantly.  Va- 
rious flowers  of  different  sizes,  shapes,  and  colors  were 
presented.  One  was  a  small  white  flower,  like  a  daisy. 
By  raps  it  was  said,  '  Obey  directions ;  you  wither  the 
flowers  by  your  touch.'  " 


890  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

•"  Third  evening : — Cold  and  clear.  The  spirit-light 
soon  rose,  divided  into  two,  and  discovered  before  us 
standing  the  beautiful  spirit-form  of  my  wife,  so  often 
described.  She  was  vividly  visible,  but  differently 
dressed  from  her  usual  style,  apparently  typical  of 
something  which  I  did 'not  understand.  A  kind  of 
turban  was  wreathed  about  the  head,  of  gossamer  and 
gold,  sparkling  with  bright  points,  like  diamonds,  her 
head  resting  upon  her  right  hand. 

"  After  remaining  visible  for  some  time,  we  crossed 
the  room,  when  she  again  appeared,  similarly  dressed. 
The  shining  head-dress  was  entirely  new.  After  she 
had  disappeared  the  light  floated  about,  as  answering 
questions  by  rapid  circular  motions.  The  light  then 
rose  near  to  the  ceiling,  describing  revolutions  the  re- 
verse of  its»previous  motions.  At  times  these  revolu- 
tions described  circles  of  six  to  eight  feet  in  diameter. 
I  asked  that  the  light  might  pass  around  us,  which  was 
immediately  done  with  great  rapidity. 

"  A  large  roll  of  drawing  paper  was  taken  up  during 
these  gyrations  arid  carried  with  the  light  The  light 
itself,  as  well  as  the  envelope,  was  heard  occasionally  to 
strike  against  the  table  or  ceiling  with  considerable 
force,  as  it  passed  about." 

"Fourth  evening : — Cold  and  overcast,  with  threatened 
storm.  Shortly  after  the  gas  was  turned  out  heavy 
rustlings  were  heard,  a  brilliant  electric  light  rose,  and 
the  well-known  countenance  of  Dr.  Franklin  beamed 
upon  us.  No  words  can  convey  an  idea  of  the  calm, 
peaceful  serenity,  the  dignity,  the  spirituality  which 
shone  out  from  that  face.  Although  I  have  so  often 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  391 

before  seen  it,  yet  od  this  occasion  I  was  more  than 
ever  impressed,  for  his  every  feature  was  radiant  The 
light  was  very  powerful,  rendering  him  distinctly  vis- 
ible. He  appeared  in  four  diiferent  parts  of  the  room, 
and  each  time  differently  draped,  or  dressed.  My  hat, 
which  had  been  left  upon  the  bureau,  was  worn  by  him 
a  portion  of  the  time,  and  then  taken  from  his  head  in 
full  view,  and  placed  upon  mine  by  the  spirit  Imme 
diately  afterward,  while  my  hat  was  still  upon  my 
head,  he  was  seen  wearing  a  three-cornered  hat,  a  ruffled 
shirt,  white  neckerchief  without  a  collar,  his  gray  hair 
behind  the  ears.  He  was  enveloped  in  a  dark  robe, 
which  passed  down  by  the  side  of  his  face,  partially 
shielding  that  side,  and  was  drawn  across  his  breast 
about  six  or  eight  inches  below  the  chin.  This  mantle 
I  examined  both  by  sight  and  touch,  and  found  that  it 
resembled  in  fabric  rather  coarse  dark  flannel  or  worsted 
stuff  Beneath  this  his  dress  was  perfect,  the  cravat  and 
ruffler  were  spotless  white,  and  the  vest  and  coat  real, 
for  I  pulled  aside  the  mantle  with  my  own  hand.  His 
face  was  like  the  crystallization  of  expression,  the  ex- 
pression changing  during  the  intervals  of  invisibility. 
The  formation  being  instant  and  temporary,  no  doubt 
lacks  the  nerves  and  muscles  of  the  human  physical 
organization,  and  hence  can  of  necessity  only  exhibit 
one  attitude,  or  phase  of  expression,  for  each  crystalli- 
zation (or  naturalization)  during  which  the  features  and 
expression  are  en  permanence." 

"  Sixth  evening: — Atmosphere  clear.     A  bright  coal 
fire  and  gas  burning,  the  latter  about  half  turned  off 
"  Opened  the  table  about  the  width  of  six  to  eight 


392  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

inches.  Soon  a  white  female  hand  rose  through  the 
opening ;  answered  my  questions  by  significant  move- 
ments. It  touched  my  own  hand,  took  hold  of  my  fin- 
gers, etc.  I  placed  my  handkerchief  upon  a  large  mu- 
sical box  on  the  table.  The  hand  rose,  grasped  it,  and 
carried  it  away.  This  hand  was  at  times  amorphous, 
or  clumsily  shaped.  Again  it  would  appear  perfect,  or 
more  nearly  so.  At  times  the  fingers  were  widely 
spread,  seemingly  stiff,  and  moving  with  difficulty ; 
again  flexible  and  natural.  It  was  fleshy  in  color  and 
to  the  touch,  but  unnaturally  white.  I  did  not  see  it 
beyond  the  wrist  I  had  frequently,  by  the  spirit-light, 
seen  that  the  formation  ended  at  the  mist." 

"  Seventh  evening: — Weather  clear  and  cold.  At  the 
conclusion  of  a  message,  a  light  rose  from  the  floor,  dis- 
covering to  us  the  spirit  of  my  wife  standing  before  us 
in  all  her  beauty.  My  hat  was  asked  for  to  shield  the 
light.  I  held  it  with  the  opening  toward  the  spirit,  the 
light  being  shaken  quickly  inside  the  hat  (by  the  spirit) 
threw  out  brilliant  radiations  until  her  face  was  radiant. 
A  delicate  veil  of  gossamer  (white)  depended  from  above 
her  forehead,  which  we  took  in  our  hands  for  examina- 
tion. I  held  it  myself  before  her  face,  found  it  transpa- 
rent, and  of  such  delicate  tissue  that  it  heightened  her 
beauty,  and  made  her  seem  still  more  ethereal.  We 
now  crossed  the  room  to  a  sofa.  The  spirit  said  (by 
raps),  'I  wish  to  recline  on  the  sofa.'  Loud  rustlings 
and  movements  were  heard,  when  we  found  that  a  sofa- 
pillow,  forming  one  end  of  the  sofa,  was  in  the  process 
of  being  detached,  and  afterward  we  saw  it  placed  on 
end  in  the  corner  of  the  sofa,  against  which  she  was  now 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  393 

seen  reclining.  We  bent  over,  and  examined  with  great 
care  her  face  and  dress.  The  dress  was  white,  a  narrow 
ribbon  was  across  her  forehead,  over  which  was  a  small 
white  rose,  a  bunch  of  violets  over  her  left  temple,  and 
a  pink  rose  behind  her  ear.  Her  hair  fell  loosely,  so 
that  I  took  locks  of  it  and  placed  it  over  the  white  robe, 
which  I  also  took  hold  of  and  examined  carefully.  It 
was  neatly  trimmed  with  a  narrow  ruffle,  and  plaited  in 
front" 

When  the  gas  was  lighted,  Estelle,  as  Mr.  Livermore 
believed  it  to  be,  invariably  got  under  the  table ;  yet,  so 
far  as  I  have  read  the  correspondence,  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  Mr.  Livermore  ever  inquired  the  reason  for 
such  a  strange  proceeding  ;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact, 
that  I  never  knew  a  Spiritualist  who  appeared  to  think 
it  at  all  strange  that  the  spirits,  when  certain  phenom- 
ena are  produced,  get  under  a  table  if  the  room  is 
lighted. 

It  will  be  perceived  from  the  description  of  the  face 
supposed  to  be  that  of  Dr.  Franklin,  that  nothing  but 
dead  matter— in  other  words,  nothing  but  masks — were 
seen  by  Mr.  Livermore,  whether  these  masks  were  pro- 
duced as  I  have  stated,  or  not  This  being  the  fact,  the 
reader  can  draw  his  own  conclusions  as  to  the  extraor- 
dinary beauty  of  the  one  claiming  to  be  his  wife,  and 
"  the  calm,  peaceful  serenity,  the  dignity,  the  spiritual- 
ity whicn  shone  out  from  the  face  "  of  Dr.  Franklin. 

In  the  production  of  these  phenomena  several  of  the 
other  world  were  engaged ;  and  the  hands  seen  on  the 
sixth  evening,  which  varied  in  appearance,  were  cover- 
ings of  the  hands  of  diiferent  individuals,  some  of  which 


894  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

had  been  more  perfectly  prepared^  than  others.  The 
lights,  which  Mr.  Livermore  sometimes  calls  spirit-lights, 
and  at  other  times  electric  lights,  were  produced  by  a 
substance  somewhat  resembling  phosphorus.  This  sub- 
stance in  its  normal  condition  is  not  luminous  to  us ; 
but  becomes  so  when  it  has  undergone  the  change  de- 
scribed. As  the  masks  will  not  bear  critical  inspec- 
tion, the  "  spirits  "  prefer  exhibiting  by  a  light  which  is 
under  their  own  control ;  and  besides,  these  phosphores- 
cent lights  do  not  so  readily  disclose  the  fact  that  the 
features  are  masks  as  would  gas-light 

Since  the  publication  of  my  formei  work,  from  which 
the  preceding  portion  of  this  chapter  is  copied — with  a 
few  unimportant  alterations,  mainly  for  the  purpose  of 
condensation — Mr.  Owen  has  published  another  work 
upon  the  same  subject,  entitled,  "  The  Debatable  Land 
between  this  World  and  the  Next."  This  work,  also, 
contains  numerous  narratives,  which  I  think  it  unneces- 
sary to  notice,  as  they  do  not  vary  in  character  from 
those  in  the  former  one.  It  contains,  however,  two 
instances  of  tangible  apparitions  witnessed  by  Mr.  Owen 
himself,  in  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Underbill  (sister  of  Miss 
Fox)  and  a  Boston  medium.  The  figures  produced 
were  not,  however,  so  perfect,  or  distinct,  as  those  seen 
by  Mr.  Livermore,  and  Mr.  Owen  did  not  perceive  the 
features  at  all,  these  being  concealed  in  both  instances. 
No  further  information  upon  the  subject  would  be 
given  the  reader,  therefore,  by  copying  the  narratives, 
which  are  rather  lengthy. 

But  Mr.  Owen  was  permitted  by  Mr.  Livermore  to 
read  the  latter's  record,  or  diary  of  phenomena,  witnessed 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  395 

by  him,  and  copies  from  it,  in  his  last  work,  some  items 
which,  as  I  think,  show  conclusively  that  the  features 
of  the  apparitions  were  simply  masks.  I  will  take 
from  Mr.  Owen's  work  a  few  of  these  extracts. 

"  '  No.  179.  At  my  own  house.  I  had  procured  a 
dark  lantern,  covered  with  a  cloth-casing,  and  provided 
with  a  valve,  so  that  I  could  throw  a  circle  of  light  two 
feet  in  diameter  on  a  wall  ten  feet  distant 

" '  I  placed  this  lantern,  lighted,  on  the  table,  and 
held  the  medium's  hands.  Soon  it  rose  into  the  air, 
and.  we  were  requested  to  follow.  A  form,  carrying  the 
lantern,  preceded  us.  The  outline  of  this  spirit-form 
was  distinct,  its  white  robes  dropping  to  the  floor.  The 
lantern  was  placed  on  a  bureau,  and  we  stood  facing  a 
window  which  was  between  that  bureau  and  a  large 
mirror. 

" '  Then  the  lantern  again  rose,  remaining  suspended 
about  five  feet  from  the  floor  between  the  bureau  and 
the  mirror,  and  by  its  light  we  discerned  the  figure  of 
Franklin  seated  in  my  arm-chair  by  the  window,  in  front 
of  a  dark  curtain.  For  fully  ten  minutes  at  a  time  the 
light  from  the  suspended  lantern  rested  on  his  face  and 
figure,  so  that  we  had  ample  time  to  examine  both.  At 
first  the  face  seemed  as  if  of  actual  flesh,  the  hair  real,  the 
eyes  bright  and  so  dictinct  that  I  clearly  saw  the  whites ; 
but  I  noticed  that  gradually  the  whole  appearance,  in- 
cluding the  eyes,  was  deadened  by  the  earthly  light, 
and  cease  1  to  wear  the  aspect  of  life  with  which  the 
forms  I  had  seen  by  spiritual  light  were  replete.' " 

This  face,  then,  would  not  bear  examination  even  by 
the  light  of  a  lantern.  The  only  question  is,  Was  a 
living  face,  "  including  the  eyes,"  gradually  deadened 


396  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

by  the  "  earthly  light,"  or  did  the  observer  gradually 
notice  that  it  was  not  a  living  face  ?  It  appears  to  me 
to  be  a  question  which  no  man  of  common  sense  can 
hesitate  a  moment  in  deciding. 

During  the  earlier  sittings  of  Mr.  Livermore  only 
himself  and  the  medium  were  present ;  but  Mr.  Owen 
states  that  he  has  recorded  ten  sittings  at  which  Dr. 
Gray  was  present,  and  eight  at  which  his  (Mr.  L.'s) 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  Groute,  assisted. 

"  The  first  opportunity  he  "  (Dr.  Gray)  "  had  of  join- 
ing Mr.  Livermore's  circle  was  during  sitting  No.  256, 
of  June  6, 1862.  On  that  occasion  the  figure  of  Dr. 
Franklin  appeared,  but  evidently  with  difficulty,  and 
without  the  full  expression  which  he  had  previously 
worn.  The  hair,  however,  and  clothing  were  both 
nearly  as  usual,  and  were  handled  by  Dr.  Gray. 

"  Eleven  days  later  Dr.  Gray  was  present  a  second 
time.  On  this  occasion  the  -figure  of  Dr.  Franklin 
showed  itself  several  times ;  but  the  features,  at  first, 
were  not  recognizable,  and,  on  another  occasion,  a  por- 
tion of  the  face  only  was  formed,  presenting  a  deformed 
and  disagreeable  aspect  This  had  not  occurred  during 
any  of  Mr.  Livermore's  previous  sittings.  Estelle  did 
not  show  herself  on  either  of  these  occasions. 

"  The  third  time  (June  25)  the  figure  of  Franklin  ap- 
peared in  perfection,  and  was  recognized  by  Dr.  Gray. 

"During  the  fourth  sitting  there  was  a  message  to 
the  effect  that  a  piece  of  the  spirit's  garment  might  be 
cut  off  with  scissors  and  examined.  Both  Dr.  Gray  and 
Mr.  Livermore  availed  themselves  of  this  permission. 
For  a  time  the  texture  was  strong,  so  that  it  might  be 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  397 

pulled  without  coming  apart  They  both  had  time  to 
examine  it  critically  before  it  melted  away." 

"  Dr.  Gray  related  to  me  a  still  more  interesting  ob- 
servation. On  one  of  the  last  occasions  that  the  figure 
of  Franklin  .presented  itself,  the  .face  appeared,  at  first, 
imperfectly  formed,  showing  one  eye  only ;  for,  in  place 
of  the  other  eye  and  part  of  the  cheek,  there  was  a 
dark  cavity  which  looked  hideous  enough.  Kate  Fox 
caught  sight  of  it  and  screamed  out  in  mortal  terror, 
causing  the  temporary  extinguishment  of  the  light  un- 
der which  the  figure  appeared." 

"  This  was  during  one  of  the  last  sittings  at  which  Dr. 
Gray  assisted.  On  several  of  the  earliest  occasions,  as 
the  doctor  informed  me,  the  face,  though  distinctly 
marked,  seemed  sometimes  shriveled  and  as  if  made  of 
dough,  at  other  times  it  resembled  the  face  of  a  corpse." 

These  extracts  are  sufficient,  I  think,  to  indicate  the 
character  of  these  apparitions.  In  reference  to  them 
Mr.  Owen  advances  the  following  theory  : 

"The  evidence  I  have  adduced  goes  to  show  that  a 
spirit  may — under  certain  conditions,  and  aided,  proba- 
bly, by  other  spirits — fabricate  an  ephemeral  eidolon, 
resembling  the  body  it  had  while  on  earth ;  but  evanes- 
cent, especially  under  earth-light ;  so  that  the  poet's  line, 

•It  faded  at  the  crowing  of  the  cock,' 

is  in  strict  accordance  with  the  character  of  the  actual 
phenomenon. 

"  By  what  process  this  temporary  induement  (if  it 
be  correct  to  regard  it  as  an  induement)  is  effected,  we 
certainly  do  not  know  at  thia  time ;  and  perhaps  we 


398  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

never  shall  until  we  learn  it,  on  the  other  side,  from  the 
spiritual  artists  themselves.  All  that  one  seems  justified 
in  surmising  is  that  there  are  invisible  exudations  from 
the  human  organization — more  or  less  from  all  persons, 
but  especially  from  the  bodies  of  spiritual  sensitives — 
which  spirits  can  condense,  or  otherwise  modify,  so  as 
to  produce  not  only  what  to  the  senses  of  human  beings 
is  a  visible  and  tangible  form,  but  also  substances  re- 
sembling earthly  clothing  and  other  inanimate  objects." 

But  if  Dr.  Franklin  was  one  of  these  "  spiritual  art- 
ists," and  communicated  for  years  with  Mr.  Livermore, 
why  should  it  be  necessary  to  surmise  anything  upon 
the  subject?  Who,  better  than  Dr.  Franklin,  could 
explain  the  phenomena  ?  assuming,  as  Spiritualists  do, 
that  Franklin  has  not  lost  any  of  his  mental  powers. 
This  is  one  of  the  strangest  facts  connected  with  Spir- 
itualism, namely,  that  men  of  the  intellectual  culture  of 
Mr.  Owen  believe  that  the  most  intelligent  of  the  other 
world  can  communicate  with  us,  and  yet  cannot,  or  will 
not  explain  a  single  phenomenon  which  they  are  the 
agents  in  producing.  A  very  few  words  from  Dr 
Franklin,  if  he  was  the  ;'  artist,"  would  have  explained, 
so  far  as  was  essential,  how  he  presented  to  Mr.  Liver- 
more  the  figure  of  himself. 

The  theory  that  the  spirits  can  manufacture  from  the 
invisible  exudations  of  human  beings  cloth  like  that 
described  by  Mr.  Livermore  and  Dr.  Gray,  appears  to 
me  an  absurdity.  But  assuming  that  these  apparitions 
were  produced  as  Mr.  Owen  surmises,  it  is  very  evident 
that  most  of  those  which  I  have  treated  as  hallucina- 
tions could  not  have  been  produced  in  the  same  manner, 


REVIEW   OF  NARRATIVES.  399 

and,  therefore,  could  not  have  been  of  the  same  char- 
acter. 

To  suppose  that  all  the  apparitions  described  in  Mr. 
Owen's  two  works  were  of  the  same  character;  that  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Livermore  communicated  with  him  for 
years  without  giving  any  satisfactory  evidence  of  the 
identity,  always  getting  under  the  table  when  the  room 
was  lighted ;  that  Dr.  Franklin  also  visited  him  for 
years  without  explaining  anything  or  giving  any  valu- 
able information,  would  make  the  whole  subject  an 
incomprehensible  mystery.  But  if  we  assume  that  most 
of  the  apparitions  were  hallucinations ;  that  those  seen 
by  Mr.  Livermore  were  tangible  figures,  though  not 
produced  by  his  wife  or  Dr.  Franklin,  then  the  whole 
matter  becomes  intelligible. 

Mr.  Owen's  first  work  contains  about  sixty  narratives, 
which  he  considers  well  authenticated.  Of  these  there 
are  nine,  of  which  I  have  given  the  substance,  which 
conflict  more  or  less  with  the  theories  I  have  given. 
Three  of  these  nine  were  given  at  least  half  a  century 
after  the  occurrences  took  place  by  parties  who  did  not 
witness  them.  Two  were  given  by  a  Captain  Clarke, 
whose  character  for  veracity  Mr.  Owen  appears  to  have 
known  nothing  about  One  purporting  to  be  given 
by  another  sea  captain  was  taken  from  a  compar 
atively  unknown  work.  One  was  given  by  a  Mile,  de 
Guldenstubbe,  who,  for  reasons  stated,  cannot  be  con- 
sidered good  authority  for  the  minute  accuracy — which 
is  the  important  point — of  a  narrative  of  the  kind. 
The  remaining  two  were  given  by  the  Baron  de  Gulden- 


400  MODERN  DIABOLISM. 

stubbe  and  Mr.  S.  C.  Hall.  The  former  of  these  does 
not  conflict  with  the  theories,  assuming  that  the  baron 
was,  like  Miss  Fox,  a  suitable  medium  for  the  produc- 
tion of  these  figures.  But  it  does  not  appear  that  he 
ever  before  or  afterward  witnessed  anything  of  the  kind, 
or  any  physical  phenomena,  for  the  production  of  which 
he  appeared  to  be  the  medium.  The  only  difficulty  I 
find  in  the  narrative  given  by  Mr.  Hall  is  the  manner 
in  which  "  Gaspar  "  is  represented  as  having  exhibited 
himself,  and  the  statement  that  any  one  could  hear  him 
talk.  This  narrative  was  given  'Mr.  Hall  about  forty 
years  after  the  events  occurred,  who  repeated  it  to  Mr. 
Owen  from  recollection.  It  could  hardly  be  expected, 
therefore,  that  the  account,  as  to  minute  particulars, 
would  be  strictly  accurate.  I  would  here  observe  that 
so  far  as  I  have  read  the  accounts  given  by  Mr.  Liver- 
more,  there  is  no  mention  of  Estelle  or  Franklin  having 
ever  spoken  a  word  which  to  him  was  audible. 

I  have  not  read  very  carefully  the  second  work  of 
Mr.  Owen ;  but  upon  a  cursory  examination  I  find  it 
contains  about  forty  narratives,  five  or  six  of  which  it 
would  be  difficult  to  explain  consistently  with  the  theo- 
ries I  have  given.  Several  of  the  narratives  in  this 
work  relate  occurrences  witnessed  by  Mr.  Owen  himself, 
not  one  of  which  at  all  conflicts  with  these  theories. 

Of  the  one  hundred  narratives  contained  in  Mr. 
Owen's  two  collections,  then,  cnly  fourteen  or  fifteen 
conflict  at  all  with  the  theories  I  have  stated ;  and  those 
which  decidedly  confirm  these  theories  are  not  only  the 
most  numerous,  but  by  far  the  best  authenticated. 
The  result  of  this  test  of  the  theories  is,  I  think,  as 


REVIEW  OF  NARRATIVES.  401 

satisfactory  as  could  reasonably  be  expected.  And  so 
far  as  my  information  extends,  other  narratives  conflicting 
with  these  theories  are  either  of  occurrences  in  darkened 
rooms  or  from  some  other  cause  of  doubtful  authen- 
ticity. 


P.  W. 

982  Leggett  Ave» 
55 


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